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Comment by Kequc | Hacker News Reader

> has offline maps so I don't have to hunt for a 4g/wifi

You just about immediately sold me on a windows phone with those words. "Offline maps" as someone who travels in europe yes please.

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I travel in Europe a lot, but Google Maps for Android has had the ability to save offline maps for ages now (which I use all the time). GPS also works offline obviously so you can navigate pretty well (still no search for offline though). In the latest version (7.5 I think) you just get the area you want to save in screen, click the search bar and scroll down to the bottom to see the option. I think it works on iOS too but you might need to use the "OK Maps" easter egg.

That Google think this is an appropriate UI for this feature tells you everything you need to know about the state of design there.

> get the area you want to save in screen, click the search bar and scroll down to the bottom to see the option.

That is going to be really useful, it doesn't allow me to search even for something as simple as "home". It does let me zoom right in and keeps names of important landmarks intact like rail stations.

Thanks for the tip.

I've had good luck with a handful of offline map apps for Android...like GPS CoPilot. Got me through 2 weeks on the road in Ireland (a country with the most absurd address system imaginable, so bad most of the locals just give out Lat Longs)

Doesn't the OpenStreetMap Android app do offline as well? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand

Sort of yes. OSM maps of thickly populated areas are great.

I don't know about routing / navigation, though.

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