Which GPS App you use that supports offline map? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2022, 09:11:41 pm
content: I normally use Google Map with downloaded maps, but ran into some difficulty. With Google Map, I know it needs WiFi data connection to search for a location, but once location is set, it used to allow navigation using downloaded map functioning without SIM or WiFi but GPS only.It failed me this week-end. Okay, I switched on my cell connection based HotSpot and connect my sim-less phone to it so it has WiFi for data and GPS signal for location. That usually works, but this time, it wasrural area at 2G connection only, Google Map frozed. I could have tried putting the SIM directly into the phone instead of using my cell HotSpot, but it was too dark to try opening things up. My sense of direction was good enough, I managed, this time.Do you have a suggestion for a map/navigation app that can function with downloaded maps other than Google Map.Thanks(By-the-way... Good thing is, now I know where I can still use my Treo650...)

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2022, 09:22:38 pm
content: If you travel a lot in bad cell areas, a GPS-only unit with a built in map is very reliable (e.g. various Garmin products), and can be inexpensive as in sub $30 (tons of them on eBay).

author: Qw3rtzuiop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2022, 10:06:26 pm
content: I can recommendhttps://osmand.netIf you dont wanna support the developers you can get the pro version in the F-Droid Appstore for free

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2022, 10:19:07 pm
content: I thought Google Maps used live (i.e. mobile data or WiFi) map tiles? Or have they changed that now?I too use OsmAnd, in fact often prefer it to Google unless I want to see Streetview or Sat view, but only for mapping, I've never tried it for navigation TBH.For navigation I use Waze which caches map tiles when you plan a route but obviously you need a data connection before you start out (which probably fits most usage cases) after which it's happy working offline.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2022, 01:15:59 am
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on January 03, 2022, 09:22:38 pmI guess I have to revive my Tom-Tom GPS (v6). Rural area is slow to change, so map change is not as much a problem. I will have to test if the battery in eat can still hold up.Quote from: nali on January 03, 2022, 10:19:07 pmre: "I thought Google Maps used live (i.e. mobile data or WiFi) map tiles? Or have they changed that now? ... ..."I think the change may be the other way around. Downloaded map worked for me for a few years. Once the destination location is set, navigation without data connection was no problem at all. I have my region's map downloaded. I did my destination selection on the downloaded map by touching the spot or search with WiFi (stopping at a coffee shop w/ WiFi or using my mobile hot-spot) then turn off WiFi for the rest of the trip. The rest of the navigation is the same as with WiFi.During the lock down, I stop traveling outside my immediate area. Last weekend was the first time since the virus thing started (about March 2020) that I ventured beyond 30 miles from my house. It was also the first time I saw "Data Connection Lost" warning with Google Map. So I believe some time during the lock down, updates to the Andriod or to Google Map make constant WiFi connection a necessary thing.Waze's caching probably wont work for me. For my immediate travel, I may not have a well defined destination but instead just a general area (helping someone with apartment shopping and looking around a target area).I'm going to reset my device, restore to an earlier version of Google Map, see what I get.Hey, guys, thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate it.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 04, 2022, 04:00:49 am
content: Google Maps.You can download offline maps through the application for a given geographical area.

author: DC1MC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2022, 05:49:23 am
content: Sygic

author: ColdPower
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2022, 03:53:39 pm
content: Quote from: DC1MC on January 04, 2022, 05:49:23 amI used Sygic too for years and it proved quite reliable (that was few years back though). It's by all means worth having it installed.

author: SmallCog
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2022, 10:57:15 pm
content: Avenza - but for topographic maps not turn by turn street maps.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2022, 02:05:01 am
content: Quote from: Rick Law on January 03, 2022, 09:11:41 pmI use Foxtrot and Navit. Foxtrot has gorgeous hand-drawn maps, which makes for huge files. Navit has digitally-generated maps from some data format, and look pretty bad, but sometimes has details Foxtrot maps are missing. But, the files are smaller.Navit supposedly can generate routes only when the network is available, but I've never gotten that to work. I do this on a laptop with a USB GPS receiver.Jon

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2022, 04:20:03 am
content: Quote from: DC1MC on January 04, 2022, 05:49:23 amQuote from: ColdPower on January 04, 2022, 03:53:39 pmThanks both for recommending that.Per your recommendation, I just tried Sygic today, to three different places I've never been before but within 40 miles radius. Sygic got it's quirks but got me there. It appears to be exactly what I needed.I did got lost a bit getting to the third place. When I was within two miles of target, I reached a traffic circle. It told me to use the sixth exit without any other info. That put me doing a 180 back to the road I was from. I did a U-turn down the road and return back to the circle. This time I exited the 5th thinking they counted my entry one as 1st, it was the wrong one. I use the same trick I used when I was using TomTom and got stuck with it routing me to a broken bridge -- I drove in one direction (along the 5th exit) far enough that it got me a different route to the target. I got there.Right now, I am on their free X days premium duration. Once that free-premium expires, I will see if non-premium will serve me as well and decide. So far I like it a lot and would not mind paying them something for a premium. But I reset my machine very often. I am not sure I would like that if I have to re-purchase each time I reset.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2022, 05:53:15 am
content: Some cell phones are true gps capable, not depending of the cellular network ... Google map and Waze, Sygic and others will workGPS watchs ??Hand held gps like Garmin eTrex Touch 35 ??

author: dave j
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2022, 12:18:03 pm
content: Quote from: Qw3rtzuiop on January 03, 2022, 10:06:26 pmAnother vote for OsmAnd.

author: mac.6
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2022, 01:32:19 pm
content: Oruxmap with custom provided map (can be openstreetmap or a web scrapped source).You won't get turn-by-turn GPS navigation for sure, but pretty reliable.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2022, 05:23:03 pm
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on January 05, 2022, 05:53:15 amYes, the GPS works without the network, but when you drive off the end of the map pages that have been downloaded, you get to a big blank square. Then, you are lost. That's the great thing about the laptop apps (foxtrot and navit) that you can preload large chunks of your country and have the maps available wherever you are, with no network.Jon

author: ve7xen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2022, 09:17:50 pm
content: OrganicMaps on Androidhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.organicmaps. Properly FOSS, unlimited downloads of map data thanks to OpenStreetMap.Used to be MAPS.ME on Android for offline maps for many years (which used to be MapsWithMe), but since its acquisition by a Russian advertising/tracking company, I switched to the fork.It's not as useful for navigation here because most building addresses are not in OSM so searching for the destination is more difficult, but if you manually drop a pin or your destination is in the database, route planning and turn-by-turn works pretty well.Haven't compared it to OsmAnd, which people here seem to prefer, checking that one out now, but it seems to require I pay the developers to get access to data developed by the OSM community, which puts a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

author: ealex
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2022, 05:25:17 pm
content: for OsmAnd I recommend the hill-shades, contour and slopes plugins (not free but acceptable)they're great for trekking and can draw a "heat-map" of slope gradient - for example to stay away from avalanche prone areas, or to plan an easy route.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2022, 09:40:05 pm
content: Quote from: jmelson on January 05, 2022, 05:23:03 pmThis reminded me at a time when GPS doesn't even have maps. I had aSport & tracker GPSaround 1996/7, with just long/lat. Sport as in for fishing and tracking (hiking) in the wild. It displays your current Long/Lat and elevation. The only "navigation" it can do is it can store a target long/lat and display a arrow pointing at the target plus linear distance to target. Very primitive.Even with only long/Lat, it is still useful for driving. The first time I drove from Stuttgart to Antwerp (around 2000), I mark down the long/lat of a few important points such as on/off to a highway. Along with paper maps and my list of long/lat, I made it from Stuttgart to Antwerp. Got lost twice in the dark of night, but managed to get back to my nearest "important points" I noted via long/lat.When the first GPS navigation with maps came out for Windows CE PDA (with mini-PCMCIA external GPS), that was great but USA only. With Microsoft Map Point (both Europe and USA map) running on a laptop, it can also talk to the external GPS via serial, and it can navigate. A bit troublesome driving with a laptop for navigation. When TomTom 6 (for Treo 650) came out around 2004/5, it was great! It has European maps as well, and much easier for driving comparing to a laptop...Now "tracker GPS" means something entirely different... You are not the one doing the tracking anymore.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2022, 09:48:01 pm
content: Quote from: Halcyon on January 04, 2022, 04:00:49 amJust to be double extra clear for the OP: downloading offline maps is a distinct function the user has to do manually. It’s not referring to cached map data caused by using the app normally.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2022, 10:55:08 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on January 07, 2022, 09:48:01 pmThanks, Tooki. I have been using Google map with offline maps for the last few years, so I am aware of that. I even updated the off-line maps prior to trip but some how after I begun (still with WiFi at start), later (no WiFi anymore), it was unable to read the downloaded map and resorted to on-line navigation. At 2G connection, I had no chance.I think I understand why it failed to read the off-line map now. After I loaded Sygic to try... It then occurred to me that when I started the app the night before the trip to update the off-line maps, it said there is a new version of Google Map available, I skipped the app update and went into off-line map update instead. That may be the cause of it -- downloaded map may require the new app version.In any event, I am glad I am off Google Map. It was too cluttered with advertisement.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 02:46:49 am
content: Quote from: Rick Law on January 07, 2022, 10:55:08 pmI utilized the feature on a road trip some time back. But then I was annoyed that some weeks after the app demanded that I accept the notification of app's desire to delete stale maps. No other option.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 02:59:23 am
content: May or may not be of some use to you regarding the original question of navigating without network.One app that I did use often (when we were still allowed to move freely!) is Backtrack.https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.wpstactic.backtrackWhat this app does is let you save your current location, and then shows you with a compass the direction and distance to any of the saved locations. It's a lot simpler than fiddling with a navigation app when you just want to know how far you are away from your hotel, for example.Last time I checked, you can to store only current GPS locations. So you can't upload a list of way points, which sucks. App is still useful to me, as I said.

author: Xandinator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 04:42:02 pm
content: Quote from: mac.6 on January 05, 2022, 01:32:19 pm+1Best all around maps IMHO:http://www.freizeitkarte-osm.de/MTB:https://openmtbmap.org/