Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Maps

HarryAinslie

HarryAinslie

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 2, 2011
163
0
Doncaster, England, UK
I used Apple Maps today and lost 3G whilst driving, it then stopped updating the map and i had to try and navigate through a city just listening to Siri.

Would be awesome if you could download the maps onto the device so it didn't require the internet connection. Anyone agree?
 
HarryAinslie said:
I used Apple Maps today and lost 3G whilst driving, it then stopped updating the map and i had to try and navigate through a city just listening to Siri.

Would be awesome if you could download the maps onto the device so it didn't require the internet connection. Anyone agree?
Click to expand...

just wait for the google maps update in august that should bring offline maps
 
Motion X Drive will allow you to do this. Just prefetch the data before you head out. One of the best mapping apps ever.

TomTom does too but it's look and interface is pretty dated IMO. Keeping maps on the phone sucks up storage but it is nice.
 
chrf097 said:
Only problem with offline maps is that you can't reroute.
Click to expand...

I would say that's a pretty reasonable trade-off for having maps when you have no data access. Although I guess some people might complain about it.
 
chrf097 said:
Unless it downloads every possible route, i dont see how.
Click to expand...

TomTom works great and doesn't require any wifi or cell. Motion X will re-route you too if you download the maps ahead of time or the data for where you're going only requires the 2mb cache it holds...which for most trips works fine. Note that the number of tiles can multiply very quickly when you choose the closer zoom levels, so you may want to only choose the closest zoom for relatively small areas.

To be safe, I run both as they both work in the background and can run simultaneously. In areas where I have no AT&T or it's in and out, I put TomTom on top and Motion X in the background (I prefer Motion X though). TomTom keeps me on track, but when signal is available, Motion X will announce the turns and routes, etc. However, if signal fades, I won't notice as then TomTom keeps me on point.

From the TomTom Website

Know that you have navigation where and when you need it. TomTom Offline Maps are stored on your smartphone–so you don't need a data signal, or roaming, stay on the right path. You can plan a new route, re-route when you miss your turn, or search for points of interest. Offline.
 
Last edited:
Apple Maps when you're in navigation won't 'lose' the maps unless you exit navigation and go back in. When you route, the app downloads the maps offline for the road the and the immediate area around it.
 
I don't think use another mapping application was the answer i was looking for! LoL

I may as well buy a Tom Tom with that advice.

]yeah it's the re-routing that cocked it up as i knew a shortcut and took it, then it all went to pot!

Poxy Shortcut! ha ha ha
 
chrf097 said:
Only problem with offline maps is that you can't reroute.
Click to expand...

Afaik there are basically two types of mapping apps. One stores all maps on the device (I found Sygic to be the best) and one downloads them on demand. I haven't heard that Apple Maps has an option to store maps on device.

If you store them, you can navigate offline freely but it takes about one GB for central Europe. If you don't store the maps on your device, you can't reroute when you lose data connection.
 
Last edited:
chrf097 said:
Unless it downloads every possible route, i dont see how.
Click to expand...

If the app have the map data, a new route can be generated locally. It is especially easy to perform a very local re-route to return you to your overall path. Cheap stand alone devices have done this for over a decade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back