Last week, Google announced some big updates for Google Maps. Those updates were made available for Google’s Android devices first. Recently, the Google Maps update hit the Apple App Store, and now you can get Google Maps 2.0 for your iOS device. Version 2.0 brings some of the features found in Android over to iOS.
Google Maps 2.0
With Google Maps 2.0, there is a new iPad interface, better navigations with live traffic, and their new location finder called Explore.
The new Google Maps for mobile builds on the design we released for iPhone last December and improves on it with a few useful search and navigation features. And it’s the first dedicated app for Android tablets and iPads. We’re also retiring Latitude and are making some changes to offline and My Maps which we’ll explain in more detail below.
They also brought over indoor mapping for popular malls and shopping centers, as well as integration with Google Offers. Reviews are integrated with Google’s Zagat services.
Offline Maps
If you want to cache your maps for offline use, you can do that now too! It is very similar to the Android version, and a little hidden:
1.Launch the Google Maps app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad.
2.Find the area of the map that you’d like to cache for offline use either by pinching to zoom in and out or entering an address and making sure the screen is zoomed out enough to capture the area you’d like to save.
3.Now in the Search bar type in Ok Maps and hit Search.
4.You’ll see a screen with the Google icon showing that it’s processing the area for offline caching. If you receive an error message that the area couldn’t be cached because it’s too large, try zooming in to a smaller area.
5.You’ll now see a message at the bottom screen confirming that the area you’ve selected has been cached for offline use.
