How to use Google Maps offline

Downloading an area, step by step

• Connect to Wi-Fi and open Google Maps. On Android you need to be signed in; on iPhone, make sure you are not in Incognito mode.
• Search for the place you are going, for example the city.
• Open the place’s card: on iPhone tap its name or address at the bottom; on Android, swipe across the row of buttons on the card.
• Tap More, then Download offline map, then Download.

There is a second route that gives you more control over the edges: tap your profile picture or initial, go to Offline maps, choose Select your own map, drag the frame over the area you want and tap Download. It is the better option for a region or an island rather than a single city.

What works without a connection, and what does not

• Works: the map of the downloaded area, used much as you normally would.
• Works: driving directions, as long as the entire route is inside the downloaded area.
• Does not work: traffic information and alternate routes while you drive.
• Does not work: transit, cycling and walking directions.

That split matters more than it looks. On a road trip, a downloaded region carries the navigation by itself. In a city you explore on foot, you will see the map without data, but every time you ask Maps to route you across town it needs a connection, so keep some data for that.

Places where you cannot download

Offline maps are not available everywhere. Google says some countries and regions are excluded because of contractual limitations, language support, address formats or other reasons. If the Download option does not appear for your destination, that is the likely cause, and there is no setting that unlocks it.

On Android you also get to choose where maps are stored. They go to internal storage by default, and you can move them to an SD card; on Android 6.0 and later the card has to be set up as portable storage. Changing the location means the maps download again, so decide before the trip rather than on it. Large regions take space, so check that the phone has room before you leave.

Keeping downloaded maps from expiring mid-trip

Offline maps expire, and Google asks you to update them before they do. It does not state a fixed lifetime, but it does say that when an offline map is 15 days or less from expiring and you are on Wi-Fi, Maps tries to update it on its own. To make sure that happens, go to Offline maps, tap Settings and turn on Auto-update offline maps.

To update by hand, open Offline maps, tap the area that is expiring or expired and choose Update. Deleting works the same way: tap the map, then Delete. On a long trip, an evening on hotel Wi-Fi is the moment to let these updates run, so they do not pull from your mobile data.

Offline maps and a travel eSIM together

The two do different jobs. The offline map covers the base layer and driving; the data covers walking routes, traffic, opening hours and everything else you look up on the go. Doing the downloads at home means the eSIM only carries the live part.

If you are using a data-only travel eSIM, the order on departure day is simple: maps downloaded at home, eSIM installed before you fly, data switched to the travel line on landing. The plan only starts counting when it first connects at your destination, so installing early costs nothing. The before-you-fly checklist puts the rest in order.