When Apple released iOS 17 in September, it brought new features, like StandBy mode and Live Stickers, to iPhones. Apple’s Maps app also got a major new feature: offline maps. With offline maps, you can download designated areas from your Maps app onto your iPhone. But before you start using the feature, how well does it work?
To find out, I downloaded a map of my hometown and used it to get around for a couple of days. My wife and I went to get coffee downtown before walking to an outdoor market, we drove back to our home and went back downtown for dinner after an NFL game ended. I also used offline maps to drive to and from my gym, as well as to walk my dog around the neighborhood.
Here’s how you can access offline maps, and what to know about them before you step foot out the door.
How to download a map to use offline
It can be a good idea to have a map of an unfamiliar area, like a new town or hiking path, in case you don’t have Wi-Fi access or a cell signal. So here’s how you can download a map to use offline.
1. Open the Maps app.
2. Find the area you want to download a map for and long press on the area. A pin should drop on your screen.
3. Tap Download at the bottom of your screen.
An outline will appear over your map. This outline represents the area which you will download a map for. You can resize this map until you’re satisfied and then tap Download to start downloading the map. A banner will announce when your map is finished downloading.
Here’s how you can access your offline maps settings page after you’ve downloaded them.
1. Open the Maps app.
2. Tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
3. Tap Offline Maps.
From here, you can access settings like adding a new offline map and a switch to set Maps to only use offline maps. If you toggle the switch to only use offline maps, you’ll see Using Offline Maps across the top of your map….
Read the full article here