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August 9, 2016

Google Maps gets Wi-Fi only mode; ability to save offline areas to SD card

by John_A

Google is rolling out a sizeable update to Google Maps that brings a new Wi-Fi only offline mode. Once enabled, Maps will go offline when there’s no Wi-Fi signal, with navigation limited to your areas you’ve downloaded to your device. As soon as you connect to a Wi-Fi network, the app regains full functionality.

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Wi-Fi comes in handy when you’re traveling abroad and don’t want to incur exorbitant data charges, or in situations where you can’t get a reliable cellular signal in your area. Google is also rolling out the ability to download offline areas to an SD card, freeing up the internal storage of your phone.

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To enable Wi-Fi only mode, you’ll need to head into the Settings in Google Maps. As soon as you activate the feature, you’ll see a notification to save areas offline, and that a small amount of data may still be used while in Wi-Fi mode. The update is now live, but if you’re not seeing the offline mode just yet, try again in a few hours.

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