Goodbye to your cell phone: with the new Google Maps, you only need an hour and no internet so you never get lost again
The vast majority of Android phones sold already come with one of the most important apps: Voll Maps. For millions of people, it's the best way to find directions and get step-by-step directions on how to get to any destination, whether in the car with Android Auto or directly on your mobile phone.
But what more and more people are discovering is that Google Maps is also available for smartwatches, and they are taking advantage of it. This version of the app is somewhat limited compared to smartphones, but not by much; most of the basic features, such as search or turn-by-turn navigation, are already available. And in the latest update, it also includes offline maps.
As 9to5Google has discovered , the Google Maps app for Wear OS is being updated with the ability to download maps for offline use on the watch. This way, you won't need to carry your phone with you for the watch to get map information, nor use your phone's cellular connection (if the watch has one).
Most watches sold only have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity; for example, the new Pixel Watch 3 will only be available this way, although there is a version in other countries with 4G connectivity. This means the watch relies on a mobile connection for all tasks that require an internet connection, such as downloading maps from Google Maps.
With the latest features, Google Maps on Wear OS will automatically download the map of the area we are in when you have an internet connection, so you can use it when you lose it. This will allow us to leave the house without our cell phone, and continue using Google Maps on our watch without problems, for example. The application will allow us to manage the saved maps and delete those we do not need, thus saving storage space.
For now, the Pixel Watch is the first watch to receive this function, but everything indicates that the rest of the watches based on Wear OS should also receive the update that activates offline maps.