Apple Maps may have begun with a rocky start, but it’s evolved into an excellent app. Many people benefit from its navigational features.
My wife has always been “directionally challenged.” She doesn’t think in maps and would have difficulty finding her way to a new location and back home again.
Apple Maps changed that for her. Now, she can identify (by searching or typing in the address) the location she wishes to go to in Apple Maps and follow turn-by-turn directions. When ready to come home, she can easily get directions to “home.”
Downloadable Maps, a New Feature in iOS 17
When iOS 17 was released, it included a new feature for Apple Maps — downloadable maps. It’s become one of my favorite new iOS 17 features.
In the past, Apple Maps could only generate directions if the initial mapping was done at a location with access to the internet. That meant you were out of luck if you didn’t have Wi-Fi or cell coverage.
Now, if you’ve previously downloaded a map for an area, you can map and navigate without internet access.
There Are Many Areas Without Internet Service
If you spend all your time in a city with cell coverage, you will probably have little use for downloadable maps.
However, downloadable maps can be a godsend if you regularly (or occasionally) travel in areas without cell service.
In May this year, my wife and I traveled to the Rapid City, South Dakota, area to evaluate it as a potential location to move to.
We visited Custer State Park in the nearby Black Hills during this trip. At the end of the Wildlife Loop Road, we were at a state highway. We didn’t know whether to turn right or left to get to our next location.
I opened Apple Maps, but because we were in a rural area with no cell coverage, it could not show me a map of the area or plot a course to our next objective.
Our Activities Make Downloadable Maps a Valuable Feature
Since moving to Rapid City, we have regularly gone driving, hiking, or backpacking in areas without cell coverage.
When doing an exploration day trip, we often start with an initial objective, but we like to have the flexibility to change our itinerary. Without downloadable maps, we frequently could not get directions to the next goal using Apple Maps.
After downloading a map for an area, we can now navigate to and from locations without access to the internet.
How To Download Maps
Downloading maps in Apple Maps is relatively simple:
1. Open the Apple Maps app.
2. Go to a specific location on Maps. Select a location name, go to an address, or drop a pin.
3. Tap on “Download.” Toward the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a downward pointing arrow inside a circle and the caption “Download.”
4. Select the map area you wish to download. You’ll see a frame superimposed on the map area.
- You can change the height and width of the downloaded map area by dragging the drag bars.
- You can change the size of the area to be mapped by pinching in or out on the map. Be aware the larger the area, the more storage space it takes.
- You can change the location of the area to be mapped by tapping and dragging on the map.
5. Download the map or cancel the download.
- The area within the frame will be downloaded when you tap the blue “Download” button in the screen’s lower right-hand corner. The size of the selected map file will also be shown.
- If you decide not to download the map, tap on the “Cancel” button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
How to See What Maps You’ve Downloaded
1. Open the Maps app. If you have a location listed in the dialog at the bottom of the screen, tap the “x” button in the upper-right corner of the dialog box to dismiss it. You’ll then see your Apple avatar in the lower-right corner of the dialog box at the bottom
2. Tap on your avatar in the lower-right corner of the dialog box at the bottom.
3. Tap on “Offline Maps. This will list the maps you have downloaded.
4. If you tap on a map name, it will open a panel allowing you to resize the map. It also lists the name, file size, and last map update. You can also delete the map by tapping the red “Delete Map” button at the bottom.
5. There are also several other options available —
• Allow downloads by Wi-Fi or both Wi-Fi and cellular.
• Automatic map updates.
• Optimize storage, automatically removing downloaded maps you haven’t used in a while.
• Only use offline maps. You use downloaded maps even when the internet is available. I imagine this avoids data downloading for those of us with limited download plans.
How To Use the Downloaded Maps Feature
To benefit from this feature, you’ll need to anticipate you’ll be in an area not covered by cell service and download a map in advance.
If you use a checklist to prepare for trips, I suggest you add this to your checklist.
When hiking or backpacking, I use a navigational app, AllTrails. It provides topographical maps of popular trails and can show me where I am on a map using my phone’s GPS connectivity.
However, these maps are only available if there is an internet connection or unless they have been downloaded in advance. Almost all the areas I hike in do not have internet access.
So I must remember to download the maps before I leave for my trip. Just like in Maps, for them to be available during my hike, I must download them when I have internet access.