After a fruitful vacation during which I discovered the progress of 5G coverage thanks to the iPhone, I also bring a tip that This saved me from paying more for my mobile tariff and this, surely, can also save you if you take it into account.
And since I’ve been working from home, I’ve gotten rid of the unlimited data rates and have a 30GB one. More than enough for a normal month, but not enough for the vacation weeks when GPS from apps like Apple Maps or Google Maps can eliminate the rate. However, there is a simple feature that, in cases like Google’s, has been around for years, but that many are still unaware of. And I personally almost forgot.
Offline maps, a good option (although with drawbacks)
Most GPS apps have the ability to download maps to use offline. In this way, we can continue to have indications in areas where there is no Internet connection, but we can also take advantage of it in places where we have data and do not want to spend it.
However, I want to first warn about this feature When offline maps are used, real-time information is lost, such as road sections that are cut off due to specific construction work or an accident, as well as areas with high traffic congestion. When using offline maps, the iPhone does not connect to the network and therefore does not receive this information. So it is a toll to pay.
Personally I do not recommend using it on long trips for this very reason. Yes, however, I recommend it for shorter trips once you arrive at your destination, as may be the case in my case, when I went to a holiday city and during my stay I moved to other nearby cities that required a GPS. In this regard, offline maps are valuable.
How to use offline maps in Apple Maps and Google Maps
I mention these two apps because they are the most used on iPhone, and they are also the most complete to guide us like the GPS in the car with Waze, which I will talk about later. Once Apple Maps finally added offline maps with iOS 17, both now have this feature.
It must also be said that you can download multiple maps in order to cover as much territory as possible. Of course, keep in mind that this will take up space on your iPhone, and while it rarely reaches 1GB in total, it’s something to keep in mind.
- Apple Cards: Click on your profile picture, enter the M sectionnot offline, press Ddownload a new map, Find the area you want to download, zoom in or out and outline the entire area. Once you have it, give Ddownload
- Google Maps: Click on your profile picture, enter Offline Mapsclick on Select your own card and move around the map to frame the entire territory and click on Download when you get it.
Additionally, if you are using the Apple app, you have the option to always prioritize offline maps. This is done by clicking on your profile picture in the app, entering the section Offline Maps and activating the tab Use offline maps only.
It should also be remembered that These maps need to be updated frequently.. They are normally updated automatically when we use the app, but it is also a good idea to enter the respective sections of the offline map to update them.
What’s going on with Waze and offline maps?
For many, Waze is the best GPS app on iOS. This is largely due to its large user community which are used to report all types of incidents on the road in real time. It is precisely this functionality, which requires a connection, which could be the key to the fact that it does not have an option to download offline maps.
What Waze does is download trip information once it startsso you can drive through areas without coverage without losing direction. However, you will stay connected to the internet when you can to find incident notices. So it is ultimately inevitable that it consumes data unlike what happens with Apple Maps and Google Maps.
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