iPhone map in Europe..is it supposed to work?

[yee0890]

Hi all,

I am currently in Germany and when I arrived I turned off 3G and cellular data to avoid outlandish phone bill when I come back to the states. Curiously, though, the map application is still able to drop the blue dot on the map telling me where I am when I am not connected to any wireless network! Am I being billed for this? At the moment, I have only turned on location services and wi-fi functions..
Please let me know what is going on!

 

[yetanotherdave]

The phone can locate you without using data using the GPS chip, but it can't display a map without data.

Did you turn off roaming?

 

[yee0890]

Yes, turning cellular data effectively I believe turns off roaming..
It's interesting because I cannot search for particular place from the map, but the phone is able to locate me.

 

[takeshi74]

That's to be expected. As stated above, the GPS receiver can determine your location but without data the app can't get the map. Searches also require data.

Use an app with locally stored map data and you can navigate just fine without data.

Am I being billed for this?

No. You're not billed to use your GPS receiver.

 

[nw9]

As already mentioned by others, you can use GPS without using internet data. If you download an offline map, then you can use GPS without having a huge bill when traveling to different countries. It's a very useful feature for travelers and also for people who don't have large data plans. Using maps to navigate you on a long trip can quickly eat up your monthly data limit.

Also if you have slow internet connection in the area you are at, you don't have to wait for the iPhone's map to refresh. Those are a few of the reasons why I prefer offline maps.