Cache Map Data On Your Phone for Unofficial Offline Maps [Travel]

iOS/Android: If you're about to travel to a location where you know you won't have GPS or cellular service, visit the location in Google Maps on your phone before you leave. Drag and zoom the map area around to cache the map on your phone so you can access it even without signal.

The tip, which comes to us courtesy of Web Designer Wall, was written for iOS, but the same principle applies to Android. Also, Google recently introduced a new "download map area" feature in Google Labs which does the same thing. iOS users however, have to do it the old fashioned way.

Visit the location you're visiting on your phone, then zoom in to the desired level of detail. Drag around the map so adjacent areas load, and then zoom out again. Repeat the process for any other areas you'll visit. Once finished, you'll be able to access those cached maps again even without signal, as long as you don't zoom in to a level of detail you didn't previously download.

Of course, you can't search against the cached area, and your mileage may vary depending on how long you wait between downloading the cache and pulling up the map. What are some of your favorite ways to get maps on your phone without wireless service? Share your tips in the comments.

Using iPhone GPS Map Without a Data Plan or Wi-Fi Connection | Web Designer Wall

---

You can reach Alan Henry, the author of this post, at alan@lifehacker.com, or better yet, follow him on Twitter.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/yDi7HtC9DiM/cache-map-data-on-your-phone-for-unofficial-offline-maps

guillain barre syndrome boston globe enchanted vancouver sun brewers tupac