Starting with iOS 17, you can download maps for offline use for navigation in areas where you don’t have cellular service. Here’s how:
How to download a map to use offline
It can be a good idea to have a map of an unfamiliar area, like a new town or hiking path, in case you don’t have Wi-Fi access or a cell signal. Here’s how you can download a map to use offline.
- In Maps, search for your destination.
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In the search results, tap the destination.
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Tap More.
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Tap Download Map.
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A white box appears around your destination. Note below the box where it indicates how much storage space it will take up on your device. The larger the map, the larger the map, and they can be quite large, so be careful here.
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To download a larger map, you counterintuitively pinch in with two fingers, which shrinks the map but enlarges the download size. Pinch out with two fingers for a smaller map.
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When you’re happy with the map area, tap Download. You’ll receive a notification when the map is finished downloading.
Now let’s say you have no Wi-Fi or cellular connection on your iPhone and want to access one of your downloaded maps. Open the Maps app and search for the location you downloaded. You can then view the map of the area and use your fingers to zoom in and out or drag the area around the screen.
You can also get directions from one point to another within the downloaded area. Tap the Directions button and enter your starting and ending points. Tap Go to generate and view the turn-by-turn directions.
Manage your offline maps
- Tap your avatar to the right of the Search Maps field.
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Tap Offline Maps.
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Your downloaded maps are listed at the top. To delete one, swipe it from right to left and tap Delete.
There is also a setting here to only use offline maps, which may be useful if you’re dealing with a tight cellular data cap.