How long do offline maps last on Google Maps?

Google Maps is an extremely important navigation tool, but you won’t always have the reliable internet connection you need to access the app. Fortunately, Google Maps also supports offline maps that you can download in advance.

When you download a map from Google Maps, it stays saved on your device for a full year. Anything in the selected area, including businesses, gas stations, and other addresses, can be searched as if you were online. The offline map experience is identical and offers the same functionality of Google Maps as long as you don’t leave the downloaded border.

You can also keep an eye on your downloaded maps in the Google Maps app. It will give you an expiration date for each of your offline cards, letting you know exactly how long the information will stay on your device. The app will also attempt to automatically update any downloaded maps when they reach their last 15 days, provided you are connected to Wi-Fi.

To download an offline map on Google Maps, open the app and tap your profile picture in the upper right corner next to the search bar. From there, tap the Offline Maps button under Location Sharing.

In this menu you will see all your downloaded maps. If you don’t have one, the app will recommend a home map with the area surrounding your home Google Maps. You can tap the button at the bottom of the screen to select your own area to download. Small areas will take up less than 100MB of storage space, but you can zoom out and download even larger maps if you have enough space.

Depending on the speed of your Wi-Fi and the size of the designated area, downloading your offline map should only take a few minutes at most. You can access your downloaded maps at any time from the app’s Offline Maps menu, even if your phone is in airplane mode.

Once you have uploaded an offline map to Google Maps, you can customize and change the settings as you wish. In the Offline Maps menu, tap the three dots next to any map to update or rename it. You can also delete cards this way once you’re done with them.

If you want Google Maps to automatically check for new updates whenever you’re connected to Wi-Fi, tap your profile picture and go to the Offline Maps menu again. From there, tap the Settings icon and enable automatic offline map updates. This menu also allows you to change your download preferences if you want to download maps using cellular data.

The app will recommend maps based on upcoming destinations it detects in Gmail, Google Travel, and other places. They will display as the home map recommendation in the Offline Maps menu. You can download them as is or pinch and drag to adjust the download area. You can also enable a setting to automatically download recommended maps if you prefer the app to handle everything for you.