Offline GPS

March 11, 2016 9:30 AM

I looking for an offline GPS app for iOS.

I have a iPhone 5 running iOS 9. I have extremely limited data. I have a job interview next week and I have no idea where I'm going. So I'm looking for an iOS app that can do offline turn by turn directions.

Free is best, but I can put up a couple dollars for an amazing app.

posted by kathrynm to Computers & Internet (11 answers total)

Google Map can save map data offline and provide directions within that area - just tap the hamburger icon in the top left, select "Offline areas," tap the + button in the bottom right, and select the area you need.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:36 AM on March 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

HERE Maps works for me in limited data situations in its (original) Windows Phone version, and it's available for iOS. It's best if you have a street address to plug in from the outset, rather than trying to search for a company name or similar and then get the address.
posted by holgate at 9:38 AM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

I used Here in Eastern Europe and liked it a lot once I accepted that it wasn't Google Maps. It was nice to know I could download data for areas I would be heading into by logical geographic units. It had fewer waypoints (named restaurants, lodging, etc.) but still had quite a bit and worked better than our old standalone car GPS.
posted by drlith at 9:44 AM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I've been pretty happy with maps.me for offline usage.
posted by doctord at 9:52 AM on March 11, 2016

Best answer: Seconding maps.me; I've used it in Milan, Zurich, Mumbai, Bangalore, Vienna and Salzburg with no issues.
posted by aramaic at 10:18 AM on March 11, 2016

Best answer: I use maps.me a lot (on Android) and it's great. The mapping data is even better than Google Maps in some cases (e.g. hiking trails)
posted by quaking fajita at 11:12 AM on March 11, 2016

Oh I forgot to mention that I find the pathfinding by maps.me to be less good than Google Maps. It works but it's not always the most efficient route.
posted by quaking fajita at 11:14 AM on March 11, 2016

I have been happy with HERE during my travels in continental Europe, Iceland, and the US (such as parts of Hawai'i with no cell reception).
posted by brianogilvie at 2:42 PM on March 11, 2016

HERE is good, and integrates well with the website. (You can customize directions and send them to your phone before going offline).

Scout is pretty good for iOS, if OpenStreetMap has good coverage of the areas in which you will be using it. OSM in many places has better maps than any of the commercial outfits, but in places where there are few users, the data isn't great.
posted by wierdo at 5:09 PM on March 11, 2016

I have Copilot for Android that works pretty well - you just have to go to someplace with wifi to download the maps. There appears to be an ios version, but I've no experience with it. Copilot is a paid app.
posted by rfs at 8:30 PM on March 11, 2016

Best answer: N'thing maps.me - I used it to build a frankly ridiculous (colour-coded!) set of bookmarks for visiting Budapest last year and it's had some great updates since.
posted by Happy Dave at 4:11 AM on March 12, 2016