Using iPhone GPS Map Without a Data Plan or WIFI Connection

13 Comments

1. 

   Hixster | June 13, 2011

   Excellent tip – I just came back from a trip to France and had data roaming turned off the whole time – if i’d have seen this earlier , I would have been able to get around the town we were staying in for free
2. 

   Sai-Kit Hui | June 13, 2011

   This also works with Google Maps for Android. I also discovered this by accident carrying around my Verizon Moto Droid around Hong Kong.
3. 

   Beldar | June 13, 2011

   How was Barcelona? Plaça Catalunya a bit full right? heheh
4. 

   Gary | June 13, 2011

   Galileo does some really nice map caching. I think it’s free.

   Then, for $1.99 you can create maps offline for it at all sorts of zoom levels. I use it out and about in costa rica. And in michigan where I only get edge service.
5. 

   Kyrodes | June 14, 2011

   This trick works on iPod Touch and iPad (without 3G) too. Old iPod Touch don’t have GPS signal but can cache.
   A tip to cache a path: With a data connection, just search the directions, click Start (top right) and press the arrow -> to navigate full path from start to end and at the each turns, crossroads and final destination make caches from various zoom levels. The cache is limited, but that way, the cache will be more consistently on final location and important places to pay attention.
   Do not miss the way so much or you can get out of cache area.
6. 

   vale | June 14, 2011

   Has anyone also tried this trick with an iPod touch/iPad?
7. 

   alex | June 14, 2011

   Wow. Nice! Hope it works. I went testing!

   And almost forgot, bookmarked this!)
8. 

   André | June 14, 2011

   Yeah… I’ve noticed this as well…. for example: I can look up subway directions at home, and while I’m in the subway (no service), I can still look at detailed information about each step.

   As for GPS, I think “Bearded Yeti” is right. In the subway, I get no GPS cos it can’t find any towers. However, when I was in Korea, I looked up direction before I ventured out or at a café. On the street, with data completely off and not on any WIFI, I was still getting my GPS location. I remember reading that iPhone uses “assisted-GPS”, which means your phone cheats by using data and cell towers to assist itself in finding your location and the correct satellites fast, no data required.
9. 

   Bearded Yeti | June 14, 2011

   I don’t think the gps actually is used… I read that it pings off of wifi connections in the area and get your location that way. I found this out after a friend of mine said he could still use his iPad after they left for their trip. They used the maps until they got out of the city but then it stopped working… Wifi only iPad too.
10. 

    Joe | June 14, 2011

    yeah, been doing this for a few years now.
    2 things to be cautious of:
    obviously when you close the app the cache is cleared. that means for 3G users (or anyone before ios 4) dont close the app at all!!
    secondly, there does seem to be a time limit on the cache as ive done this before and occasionally after leaving it for a while it requests new data.
11. 

    oh boy | June 14, 2011

    for real? you mean there is a way to cache javascript, images AND scripts????
12. 

    Tom | June 14, 2011

    Do you know how much data can be cached?

    BTW, nice font in these form elements.
13. 

    Fazreen | June 14, 2011

    Cool tricks. People can save a lot by using this trick. By the way nice sharing