Maps without WiFi or cell service?

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Maps without WiFi or cell service?

My neighbor's 8 yo boy and I were on a photographic expedition in some nearby woods. He carries his mother's old iPhone that has WiFi but not cellular service. When it came time for us to go home, he couldn't use the Maps app to show him the way because he didn't have cellular service and wasn't connected to WiFi. It showed his location in the continental US, but not the nearby streets.

I could have turned on the WiFi hotspot on my Android phone and he could have connected to that to get the street maps, but what if he was alone and without WiFi? How could he get street maps? Is there a way to download local street maps while on WiFi, then use them when WiFi is lost?

Posted on May 23, 2023 4:35 AM

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Answer 1

May 24, 2023 2:23 PM in response to TCav301

What you’re looking for is a mapping application with an “offline maps” capability. (meaning that the digitized maps are held resident in the device)

As you learned, this is NOT how Apple Maps is architected; it effectively downloads only the maps you need when you need them.

This works well for most folks most of the time; but occasionally even users with SIMs and mobile data plans “drive off the map” when in remote areas.

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Answer 2

bruno75

Community Specialist

May 24, 2023 2:09 PM in response to TCav301

Hey there TCav301,

For Maps to work, you'd need an internet connection(Wi-Fi and/or cellular). We’d like to help by providing a link you can use to submit product feedback for consideration: Product Feedback

We also recommend that he search the App Store on his iPhone once connected back to Wi-Fi to see if there are any apps that will do what he's looking for with maps. Reading reviews for any that he finds interesting may help with deciding.

Cheers!

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Maps without WiFi or cell service?

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