Apple Maps has long since proven itself as a reliable navigation app on par with competitors like Google Maps and Waze. Apple Maps offline is one of the most convenient features; here's how to use Apple Maps' offline maps.

Why You’ll Love This Tip:

Use offline Apple Maps even when your connection is weak.
Download maps for your local area to save data.
Never get lost in your city again, even if you lose signal or data.

How to Use Apple Maps Offline

System Requirements

This tip was performed on an iPhone 16 Pro Max running iOS 18.5. Learn how to update to the latest operating system.

Does Apple Maps work offline? Yes, if you download maps ahead of time! If you don’t have strong cellular reception in a particular location or if you’re traveling abroad and need a map of the area, you can now download the map and still get directions even while offline. Here’s how to download maps to iPhone or iPad manually:

Open the Maps app.
Enter a location in the Search bar.
Tap Download.
You can drag the corners of the map to resize the downloadable area to save space or catch a larger area of the map.
Tap Download to download the map.
To find your downloaded map, tap your profile icon.
Tap Offline Maps.
You'll see your downloaded Apple map and be able to adjust a variety of settings, including allowing downloads when on Wi-Fi or cellular, enabling or disabling automatic updates, optimizing your iPhone storage, syncing to your Apple Watch, or only using offline maps.

You can access your Offline Map settings or download new maps by following steps 1 and 2. If it is connected to your iPhone, you can also continue to use Apple Maps offline on your Apple Watch. For more iPhone tips and tricks, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day.