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Help Route from Google Maps where wifi unavailable

pwabrahams

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2014
115
26
I want to walk (or perhaps drive) from Point A to Point B, using Google Maps to set up the route. I have wifi available as I am setting the route up, but not while I am actually traversing the route. Is there a way to use Google Maps while I am walking? If I make a mistake while walking, can I still get back onto the path?
 
If you need turn-by-turn directions, then when in Google Maps and you start you navigation, click on the time at the bottom:
Capture+_2016-09-05-16-48-35.png


and it will take you to turn-by-turn:
Capture+_2016-09-05-16-48-47.png
 
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I guess I find it surprising that Google Maps would have that functionality purely within the phone, even when no wifi is available. The one time I tried it it didn't work, but maybe I was doing something wrong. I'm not surprised it can find my current location, but plotting a route would seem to require information only available on the Net.
 
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Does your phone plan have data / internet?
Yes it does, but if I'm not in the range of any hotspots, the data plan doesn't do me much good. Or am I missing something?

There's no necessary correlation between the availability of phone service and the availability of internet service. In some places I have one, in some places I have both, and in some places I have neither. Is there a way to get internet access if I only have phone service at my location?
 
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If you need turn-by-turn directions, then when in Google Maps and you start you navigation, click on the time at the bottom:
View attachment 109367

and it will take you to turn-by-turn:
View attachment 109368

How does that work if I don't have wifi access? I know that the phone can report my location or even show me where I am 0n a preplanned route, but without wifi I don't see how it can get me back on course. To do that it would need a regional map at least, I'd think, and such a map would be difficult to store on the phone.
 
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How does that work if I don't have wifi access? I know that the phone can report my location or even show me where I am 0n a preplanned route, but without wifi I don't see how it can get me back on course. To do that it would need a regional map at least, I'd think, and such a map would be difficult to store on the phone.
It won't work without wifi or internet access.
However, and I have not tried this, there may be an option to download the route for offline viewing.

Edit: apparently there is:)

Capture+_2016-09-05-19-30-21.png
 
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OK. Turn off your wifi. Wifi is an internet connection that connects to your home PC, a library, a public place that offers wifi. Please turn that off now... Now open a browser, such as Google, Internet explorer, Firefox on your phone. Does the website load? If not, you have no data plan which means you only have internet by using Wi-Fi. Google maps loads everything by internet, but that will only happen by wifi OR data, if you have a data plan. So, if you are out of wifi range and you use Google maps, nothing will load.
 
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Phone service is just that, phone calls, texts.... Internet is data. If you turn off wifi altogether, can you bring up websites on your browser from home, car, away from home? If not, then you have no data services on your phone plan.

Aha! I see where my problem was -- I was in Hungary when I tried to use Google Maps for navigation. I could do that as long as I was in range of a hotspot, but of course my phone service -- and therefore my data service -- doesn't work over there (unless I buy an international SIM card, I suppose).

So I guess my original question still makes sense: if I have neither phone nor internet, but I've already laid out a route in Google Maps, how can I use my phone (which of course knows where I am) to follow it?
 
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See my edit above....there was an option to download the route for spotty service.
So, maybe that will help?

Very likely it will. I suppose it depends on how the "spotty reception" option is implemented. If I set up the route before I start and the phone remembers it, then perhaps the current location can be checked against the route. That's what I would hope, anyway.

My experience was that I tried this twice, once in an urban area (Budapest) and once in a small town. In Budapest I had wifi reception when I started walking and the phone was able to keep track of my position as I walked. However, I don't know what hotspots I might have passed on the way. In the small town, I had set up the route before I arrived there, but the phone was useless. I kept wondering that if I had done this a different way, I might have had some success. Maybe it depends on whether I have reception when I start walking.
 
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Google Maps off-line turn by turn navigation is for driving only, it says quite specifically that it is not available for walking, cycling or public transport, and even the driving capability is reduced in that there is no traffic information and no alternative routes provided - for full fuctionality you must have on-line access either via your mobile data connection or wifi and in a navigation scenario that effectively means mobile data connection.

For off-line use the appropriate map area must be downloaded beforehand preferably by wifi. One advantage of Google Maps over other navigation apps is that you can zoom in to city/town plus surrounding area with a storage requirement of less than 100mb, (you mentioned Budapest, as a matter of interest I downloaded Budapest area, which took less than 50mb. I have North Wales area downloaded which takes just over 100mb.

Google Maps is now my preferred driving nav app, primarily because of the excellent search capability, but for walking I use either Magic Earth or OsmAnd+, both are fully functioning navigation apps for driving and walking and include most national trails and paths as well as full urban walking directions. They both provide full off-line navigation using downloaded maps.

I would certainly recommend you have a look at Magic Earth, it is a free app and all map downloads are free. I find the UI is excellent and very easy to use. It uses Osm maps which are updated on a regular basis. I guess it all depends on what storage space you have (Google Maps, Magic Earth and OsmAnd+ allow storage to an SD card).

Something I haven't tried with Google Maps, but I don't see why it wouldn't work is to set a route for navigation by car and then use it for walking. In an urban situation it must surely take you from A to B, but not necessarily in the shortest time/distance - eg. the proper walking navigation will take you the wrong way up a 'one-way' street or take you through a pedestrian only area.

:)
 
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investigate CoPilot USA

terrific mapping app, configurable to any form of transportation, and ALL of the maps are downloaded to the SD card preferably, as they are huge!!! Once the maps are downloaded, it does not even ask for a data channel.... not needed ever again.

if no SD card, then only download the smallest region that applies for your route.

I have the pro version, which gives turn by turn, set it to Pedestrian and it is great there too.

a bonus is that no other apps has as many local attractions listed as this app does.
I find it to be my "go to" map when setting on a bench at the rest areas while motorcycling thru the states.

I use my Garmin 2797 for highway travel though... bigger screen, and direct to my helmet audio. Plus power by wire for always on.
 
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