Originally Posted by
seeker333
Google Maps has had limited offline capability for years. The new feature is nav/tbt prompts.
Unless it's just changed, the Google Maps you can download for offline use are very limited in file size (small area/hi def or larger area/too low def). They are behind literally years in development. You are much better off with a dedicated gps nav app that supports offline navigation using pre-downloaded map databases. I recommend
OsmAnd.
Google has apparently increased the download limit from 50 MB to 2.5 GB. That's a lot of map data. And its all free to download, which will surely hurt the independent mapping software vendors trying to make a go of it.
Google is also including offline POI searches in the new Maps app, the database for which is largely becoming maintained through user crowd-sourcing. That feature will appeal to a lot of people, including bike tourists looking for bike shops, internet cafes, campgrounds, etc., I suspect.