Google has long held the lead when it comes to their mapping technology and their Maps app, but as version 7 of Maps for Android rolls out to smartphones and tablets, one of Google's lesser known but very useful Maps features has gone missing.
We're talking about offline maps, the ability to call out a section of a map and save that data so that you can interact with it even when you don't have an internet
connection.
If you're traveling and you wanna avoid roaming fees but still have access to local maps, this feature is a real lifesaver.
The good news is the offline maps haven't disappeared in version 7; they just been relocated.
Instead of finding Offline Mode in the menu, zoom into a section of map that you'd like accessible offline and then tap the search bar and you should see an option above the keyboard for make this map area available offline.
You can do the same thing by typing OK Maps into the search box and will automatically
cache the map on your screen for offline use.
Now once you have your maps saved, you can turn off your Wi-Fi connection.
You can turn off your data connection and you're still gonna be able to zoom in on that section of map and even locate yourself on that section of map as long as you have GPS enabled on your device.
Now beware the offline map is unavailable for all regions.
Paris worked but Tokyo didn't.
New Zealand, no problem, but South Korea, no luck.
Worst case scenario you can try taking a screenshot of the map by pressing the home button and the power button
simultaneously, or in the case of the Nexus 7 here pressing the screen lock button and the volume down buttons at the same time.
So that's Offline Mode in Google Maps for Android version 7. For more tips like this including 4 extra tips for the new Google Maps, head over to Howto.
CNET.com.
I'm Donald Bell.
Travel safely.
