13Using it with no signal
Save the map to your phone before you go. Then the map, your route and Nav keep working where there's no signal.
13.1Why download maps
Out of town, your phone often has no signal. A map you keep on your phone still works there. So does your route, and Nav still tells you each turn.
Downloading means saving something to your phone so it works with no signal. Do it at home on wifi before you go. The files are big, so plug your phone in to charge if you can.
Step by step, with pictures: Keep the map with no signal
13.2The Offline tab
- Tap Menu at the top left.
- Tap Offline along the top of the menu.
Here's the tab from top to bottom.
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Offline Maps | The heading at the top of the tab. |
| Advanced | Tap it to see Map source. Leave Map source on Auto. |
| The line under Advanced | Says which map is in use right now. |
| The map for your trip | Shows when a link brings you here to save a trip. One button gets the states your route goes through. |
| Download a state | Every state, with the one the map shows at the top. Each has one Download button. |
| Older downloads on this phone | Shows only if you have maps from before. Tap Remove to free the space. |
While a state downloads, its row shows what it's getting and how far it has got.
13.3Download a state
Each state is one download. It holds the topo map, the 3D hills and the routes for that state. A topo map shows hills and tracks as well as roads. With the routes on your phone, the app can plan a new route there with no signal.
- Find each state your trip goes through.
- Tap Download beside it.
- Keep the app open until the row says On this phone.
Each row shows its size. Most states are 70 MB to 420 MB. Texas is about 500 MB, and Hawaii about 17 MB.
States next to each other join up. So a trip from Colorado into Utah plans as one route, with both on your phone.
If it stops part way, the row shows Get the rest. Tap it to carry on. Nothing already saved is lost.
A state you download also saves some weather forecasts for it.
13.4Aerial photos and satellite
Aerial photos are pictures of the ground taken from the air. They're optional. You don't need them for the map or for routes.
Once a state is on your phone, a Satellite (optional) line shows under it. Tap Satellite to add sharp aerial photos for that state. They're large, so only add the states you'll visit, on wifi.
To take them off, tap the bin on the Satellite line. Alaska and Hawaii have no Satellite line.
13.5Map source
Map source picks which map the app draws. To see it, tap Advanced at the top of the Offline tab. It works for the main map and for Nav.
| Choice | What it does |
|---|---|
| Auto | Uses the online map while it loads. Switches to your downloaded map when nothing gets through, and back again later. This is the one to use. |
| Offline only | Always uses your downloaded map, even with signal. |
| Online only | Never uses your downloaded map. On weak signal the map may be slow or blank. |
On Auto, the app waits a few seconds for each piece of map. After three misses in a row, it switches to your downloaded map. It tries the online map again every 20 seconds.
13.6The download offer on your phone
On a phone, the app may offer to do the download for you. A card says Download the maps and route data for the state you're in, with the size. It says it's best done on wifi.
It saves the map first, then the routes, then the hills.
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Download | Starts the download. You can keep using the app. |
| Not now | Closes the card. It won't ask again, so use the Offline tab later. |
| Stop | Ends a download part way. Next time you open the app, it offers what's missing. |
If you close the app part way, it carries on from where it stopped next time you open it.
The app may also save the map near you by itself. A note says Getting the map for, then the area and its size. Tap Stop if you'd rather it didn't.
13.7What works with no signal
| Works with no signal | Needs signal |
|---|---|
| Your downloaded map and place names | Rain radar and the wind map |
| 3D hills, in a state you downloaded | Fresh forecasts and official warnings |
| A route you planned before | New fire and closure updates |
| Nav and its spoken turns | Plan with AI |
| Planning a new route, in a state you downloaded | Search for a place you haven't seen before |
| Saved routes | Aerial photos, unless you saved them |
| The week of weather saved along your route | Planning a bicycle route |
| Closed roads, from the list saved with your map | Sending a new place you add (it waits and sends later) |
With no signal, search looks only at what's on your phone. That's your saved spots, recent places, campgrounds already on the map, and towns.
If you've signed in on this phone before, the app opens with no signal too.
13.8Planning and Nav with no signal
With a state downloaded, Plan Route works there with no signal. The Route Summary says the route was planned on your device. It also says live closures and traffic aren't included.
An RV or trailer route still sticks to main roads. It keeps off roads too low or too narrow for you.
| If you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Too far to plan offline in one go | Add a stop about half way. Each part then plans quickly. |
| A place is far from any road in your packs | Move that pin onto a road and plan again. |
| No routing pack on this phone yet | Tap Open the Offline tab, and download when you have signal. |
| Bicycle routing needs signal | Bicycle routes need signal. Plan it before you go. |
In Nav, if you leave the route, the app plans a new one on your phone. Without that state on your phone, it can't. The line turns into amber dashes, a note says Offline, can't reroute, and a voice says No signal. Cannot reroute.
Get back on the line, and Nav carries on. When signal returns, it plans a new way for you.
Step by step, with pictures: Keep the map with no signal
13.9Storage, updates and removing downloads
| Download | Size |
|---|---|
| One state: map, hills and routes | About 17 MB for Hawaii to 500 MB for Texas |
| Satellite photos for one state | Large. The size shows once saved. |
Downloads are kept in your phone's browser storage. If your phone runs out of room, a message says so. Free up space, then tap Download again.
- Find the state on the Offline tab.
- Tap the bin button beside it to remove it.
When a newer copy of a state is ready, a card says A newer offline pack is ready. Tap Update to get it, or Later to keep what you have. The state's row also shows an Update button.