Google’s maps and navigation service keeps getting better, even for our Wear OS watch. Google Maps for smartwatches has been independent of our phones for turn-by-turn navigation for some time now, and it recently improved access to its features with a new card.
However, one of the most missed features is the ability to use offline mapsOn Android, it’s very easy to download them, and this way we avoid consuming data, in addition to the resulting improvement in battery life by not having to be permanently connected to the mobile network. Google is starting to deploy this ability in Maps for Wear OS.
Offline maps for Google Maps on your Wear OS smartwatch
Google revealed it last week and it’s here: at the presentation of the Pixel 9, we also got to see the new watch from the Mountain View firm. The Pixel Watch 3 comes with a revamped spec sheet, as well as improved software. And in this sense, Google Maps for Wear OS continues to advance step by step.
The next addition is offline maps, a capability that has been around for years on Android but was not yet possible on our wrist. Now, as we read on 9to5Google, an update adds the ability to view maps when we do not have access to the Internet.
As soon as Google Maps for Wear OS is updated, we’ll see a message announcing the change: “Offline maps on your phone are automatically downloaded to your watch.” And it brings a new section to the app, which, as you might expect, is called “Offline Maps.”
This is what Google Maps’ “offline maps” feature looks like on Wear OS. Screenshots by 9to5Google
With it activated, the Maps app for watches will automatically download a map of the place where we are. As if that were not enough, it has the ability to synchronize any offline map that we carry in the mobile app. On the other hand, it will also tell us how much space each map takes up, with a button to delete them and save memory.
Apart from the initial download we mentioned, Maps tells us that Offline maps are synced when two conditions are met: whether we are connected to Wi-Fi and the watch is charging. It will then be possible to use them to guide us from the smartwatch even in places where there is no connection, although it is also useful if we have a reduced data rate.
How does Google Maps for Wear OS indicate that we are using an offline map? The representative cloud icon will appear cut off every time we are not connected to the network. Apart from this, there is no further complexity in a function that has been missed and that will now improve the use of this app on watches.
Has appeared in the Maps for Wear OS version 11.140.0701.Wso it should be arriving on your watch in the next few weeks. Thus, Google Maps continues to improve after the shortcuts that take us to our home or work and the button to enable voice input.
Via | 9to5Google
Cover image | Iván Linares for Xataka (with editing)