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Google Maps now let's you pre-cache map data from your WiFi:

P

pilot145

Lurker
This is especially good if you're on a limited data plan or travel to areas with poor coverage and like to use Google Maps for naviation.

They've introduced a feature where you can pre-cache areas with a wifi connection. This basically uses your wifi to pre-download the maps in an area you're going to use.

To do this, open Google Maps, hit "settings", and select "Labs". Go down to "Pre-cache map ar...ea" and select it.

Go back to the map, navigate to the area you want to precache and long-press (hold finger on that spot for about 3 seconds) until an address box appears. Tap the box and one of the options should be "pre-cache map area". Tap that option.

It pre-caches a box around that area 10 miles by 10 miles (100 square miles total) and you can do this to up to 10 areas.

Good luck!!
 
Cool but limited. Only active in cache for 30 days.
Wish we could download entire US states on a per/per basis from Google.
 
Been doing that for quite a while... but using something like Navfree is even better. Although Google maps are much nicer looking!
 
blackdog709 said:
Cool but limited. Only active in cache for 30 days.
Wish we could download entire US states on a per/per basis from Google.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't surprise me if Garmin, TomTom et al aren't paying Google millions of dollars a year NOT to allow any sort of reasonable caching.
 
done all required to pre cache map areas but when offline the cache map area doesn't zoom in to street name level. Looks like it doesn't refresh screen to a clear zoom in view.

Any idea what to do?

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I wish I had better control over my Itouch. Because I spend a good amount of time in europe. And because of triangulation my Itouch uses via WiFi it can some what accurately track my progress through the cities. But it is pretty difficult to get the map in the cache.

I am not sure if my Nexus can do the same thing with WiFi in other countries.
 
This method used to work, but no more - July 2012. Settings/Labs seems to have deleted caching options, in fact has deleted almost everything it used to offer.
 
pcaker said:
This method used to work, but no more - July 2012. Settings/Labs seems to have deleted caching options, in fact has deleted almost everything it used to offer.
Click to expand...

Go to menu, offline. This feature has "graduated" from and and is a full fledged feature now. I am not sure if the 30 day limit still exists.
 
I have selected wifi only and wifi is working but cannot cache a 10 mile area.

Sure that a long press brought up an address bubble; pressing on that bubble enable the cache to operate. No longer does?

What am I doing wrong?
 
athegn said:
I have selected wifi only and wifi is working but cannot cache a 10 mile area.

Sure that a long press brought up an address bubble; pressing on that bubble enable the cache to operate. No longer does?

What am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...

If you have the latest version of Google Maps, press the menu key, then choose "Make available offline".
 
One problem with the pre-cached maps is you can't create a route without a data connection. After the route is established, then you can drop the data connection and it will navigate you fine and I think the latest version will actually get you back on route if you meander off, but you can't create a route without a data connection.

BigRedGonzo
 
BigRedGonzo said:
One problem with the pre-cached maps is you can't create a route without a data connection. After the route is established, then you can drop the data connection and it will navigate you fine and I think the latest version will actually get you back on route if you meander off, but you can't create a route without a data connection.

BigRedGonzo
Click to expand...

I believe you are correct.
 
The previous (lab) version allowed you to save area from ANYWHERE in the world. The current version only allows you to save areas from certain countries. So this is definitely a step back :-(
 
Sorry for posting in old thread, but the issue appears to be semi-permanent.
HTC One V, not activated yet, running internet pass-through. Smartphone is such a pain after a flip phone, but I'm going to need occasional internet and maps on the trip. No SD card yet.

Opened Google Maps, pressed the center, label with address appeared. Tapped that label - Address page appears, clicked on Pre-Cache Map Area - it says "Can't pre-cache, make sure you are connected to network and have enough storage". Let it go into sleep without turning power off, few minutes later tried the same - it says "the area is already pre-cached", and it does show in the Cache settings. Turned the power off and then on - now cache is wiped out clean, no saved maps. I didn't check the box "clean the cache", it did this itself. Anybody else had this problem?

Q2: didn't do anything differently, but Google Maps opened once in a weird look, with terrain and gray highways - normally highways and major streets are yellow, and there was no Pre-Cache option on the Address page. WTF?

Q3: Is there any update of Google Maps for mobile (don't see anything on website), or my soft don't matter?

Q4: What is the best offline map to use with GPS, sans data network and/or in Airplane mode? I downloaded GPS Test already, it shows coordinates and I know how to use a printed map, but having my location on the screen map would be nice.
 
To Q4:
If you don't need a car turn-by-turn navigation (like Navigon, the best of this kind), you might have a look at OsmAnd.

The app let you preload packages of vectorized maps of all ereas of the world.
These maps are free OpenStreetMaps (OSM) and their vector file format needs significanly less storage space than Maps's tile file format.

OsmAnd can be used completely offline, even for location searchs.
BTW, Maps, with preloaded maps of areas, can used offline in these areas, but for locations search in these areas, Maps still will need a data connection, and also for compute a route.

Harry
 
Probably I need SD card.

OSM, despite compact size of vector maps, still wants to load them into SD card. And so do Copilot and Mapdroyd.

And as reported earlier, HTC ONE V clears cached Google maps when powered off.

Navfree allows loading tiles into 800 MB of my remaining internal memory, though it's enough for only one state and for some reason not enough for "one Canada" - 500 MB file refuses to load in 800 MB internal memory.

So, for now I'm left with Navfree USA (I'm in Canada). Something is wrong with this one too. There is no box for "point A" or "From", like in Google. Dialed in city center, it shows on the map, clicked Navigate There, and it says, with British accent :) "Can't navigate there because there is no carriageway in your location". Maybe - I'm guessing - because it can only navigate from my GPS-cofirmed location, and there was no map with carriageways etc loaded for my location. In other words, no route planning in advance is possible.
 
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