Google Maps Offline Navigation Gives More Convenience to Users

Google Maps is the trusted mapping software for mobile users in navigating their way. Now, Google adds more functionality that will benefit more users who travel in an area without cellular connection. This is available for Android phone and soon will be for iPhone users as well.

Google Maps is the best friend of travellers who try to find directions. With awesome detail and its GPS turn-by-turn navigation for smartphone users, Google Maps is really helpful in selecting routes to your destination. However, no matter how helpful Google Maps is, it cannot be accessed in an area without celluar connection.  Most often, when we are in a garage or indoor parking lot, cellular service is offline. Therefore, in order to use Google Map to search for direction or best route we must drive outside the building and stop by the road side to receive a cellular connection.

Such inconvenience will not happen again with Google Maps new feature: offline navigation. In a conversation with Tech Crunch, Amanda Bishop, Product Manager for Google Maps, talks about how offline mode will benefit most users because there are certain areas that are either offline or with a slow Internet connection. As a result she said, "10% of the time our users are getting slow or no results." Bishop also shows a demonstration of how Google Maps offline mode work. According to Tech Crunch, the demo is pretty impressive.

Time Magazine reported that with new offline feature, Google Maps users will now be able to search for specific locations, get turn-by-turn driving directions, and receive information about places offline. Before this update, Google Maps in offline mode is only able for interactions like panning and zooming. In order to use offline mode, Google Maps users have to download a map for a specific area first, before going offline.

Google Maps mobile application is the chosen application for smartphone users, because it offers similar convenience with other GPS navication device, including features like "My Location," street view and turn-by-turn navigation. One distinctive feature that makes Google Maps stands out is its information about the place, such as operating hours, contact information, and star ratings. This feature is very useful to decide a place for dining or meeting  is available for both Android and iPhone users.

Gizmodo reported that this new, very cool and helpful feature is now available on Android and is "coming soon to iOS." With the great update, you can choose a map's portion and the selection will be saved to a new "Offline Areas" section of the app.

Now, with the new functionality, mobile users can fully depend on Google Maps as their navigation tools even even being in the dead zone or have slow Internet connection.