Google released an updated version of Google Maps for Android today, and while the company made a big fuss about a new feature that tells you when you’ve reached your stop on a bus, there’s another feature tucked away in the app which is at least as cool.
You can now download maps to your device so you can look up locations, get directions, or even use navigation even when you have no internet connection.
Here’s how to enable the feature:
- Open Google Maps.
- Tap the menu button on your device.
- Select “More.”
- Choose the “Labs” option.
- Scroll down until you see “Pre-cache map area” and tap the download icon.
Now you can download maps for a 10 mile area surrounding any point on the map. Just open a location page for any spot on the map, click the “More” button and scroll down until you see “Download map area.”
If you want to free up space on your device you can delete saved maps by tapping your phone’s menu button, choosing “Cache Settings,” and then going into the Downloaded map areas to delete existing maps. You can also rename maps from this screen.
You can download the latest version of Google Maps from the Android Market.
via Android Central
Downloaded the latest version of Maps but the option to “Download map area” isn’t there. I have version 5.10.0.
Google has changed the name of this feature from “Download map area” to “Pre-cache map area.” do you see that one?