also called downloaded maps · offline navigation
Map data stored on your device so navigation works without a live internet connection.
Maps you download onto your phone in advance so navigation still works with no signal and no data. Your phone's location chip keeps working even without internet, so the blue dot moves across a map you already saved. That is different from a GPS-only setup, where you have your position but no stored map for it to sit on.
Someone taking an overnight bus through a rural stretch with no coverage saves the whole region's map before leaving the city. When the signal drops out for hours, they can still see exactly where they are and which stop is coming, while seatmates relying on live data are blind.
Saves you when roaming is off, data is capped, or rural coverage drops during transit.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
These let you find your way with no connection.
GPS only mode uses your phone's built-in satellite positioning to locate you without any mobile data or wifi, and offline maps are the map data you download in advance so the navigation has something to draw on while you are offline.
A new term lands on this site every day, and the email is how you get it the day it lands. No digest, no roundup, no pitch. One term, what it means, and what it costs you to get it wrong.
Unsubscribe in one click, any time. We do not sell or share your address.