If you’ve ever planned a vacation or road trip, you know how important having a map or guide with you is. However, old paper and plastic maps have gone the way of the dinosaur, with our smartphones taking over. That’s not a bad thing — our smartphones, such as the Pixel 3 XL, have excellent and accurate mapping data available to them. The problem comes when you lose the Internet connection due to a rural area, and as you know, you cannot use that mapping data without a good Internet connection. That’s why it’s so important to have an offline GPS app with you.
Not sure which one to download for your Pixel 3 XL? Here are some of the best you can take with you on your road trip.
Offline Maps and Navigation
Offline Maps and Navigation is one of our favorites because you can download entire maps with turn by turn direction. That means you can use it for long distance travel quite well. That trek across the United States’ mid-western states you were planning? You won’t have to worry about getting lost with this one. And with mapping data on 200 other countries as well, you’ll be able to effortlessly plant rips abroad, too.
Download it now: Google Play
Google Maps
If you didn’t already know, Google Maps has offline GPS functionality. You’ll be able to download parts of a map, and use that for offline turn by turn navigation. However, that’s also the “con” with Google Maps, too. You can only download sections of a map, not an entire map. That said, if you plan on using Google Maps’ offline functionality, you’ll have to properly plan your trip ahead of time, downloading areas of maps that you know you’ll need because you won’t have an Internet connection. That said, it’s not the best app for long distance travel, but it is the one with the most accurate mapping information, as Google has investing a lot into the accuracy of Google Maps.
Download it now: Google Play
MapFactor GPS Navigation
You might’ve not heard of MapFactor GPS Navigation before, but it’s one of the more popular offline GPS apps out there. It’s actually got an arsenal of over 30 million installs. People all over the world use MapFactor, and to great success. You can download all sorts of maps for offline turn by turn navigation, not just in the United States, but in other countries, too. MapFactor actually has map data available on over 200 different countries. If you live International, you’ll have no problem taking a trek across Europe with MapFactor, and without an Internet connection. There’s a lot of cool route planning tools built in this app as well — you can very easily block off roads and areas that you want to avoid with MapFactor.
Download it now: Google Play
HERE WeGo
If you’ve never heard of HERE WeGo before, this was a GPS app that was pre-loaded on all Nokia phones when they were popular. It was pretty good navigational software, but since the smartphone era, it’s gotten a whole lot better. It’s even won a few Editor’s Choice awards. That said, you can — of course — download maps for offline turn by turn directions. When you connect up to the Internet, you can access other features, including real time traffic updates, speed information on each road you end up on, and more.
Download it now: Google Play
GPS Navigation & Maps Sygic
We really like GPS Navigation & Maps Sygic. This is one of the best options for offline GPS navigation simply because it allows you to download entire maps, as opposed to many apps that only allow you to download small sections. This makes it a little more optimal for long distance travel, particularly in areas where you know you won’t have an Internet connection. You’ll always be able to find your way back home with your downloaded maps, even if you don’t connect up to the Internet the entire time you’re on your trip.
Now, there are a number of Internet-based features that you can use if you want as well. There’s things like lane assistance, real time traffic information, route planning, local municipal warnings, and much more.
Download it now: Google Play
Verdict
If you’ve ever gone on a road trip and passed through an area with poor connection, you know how important offline GPS apps can be. That said, it can be difficult to find a good one with the sheer amount available on the Google Play Store, which is why we hand picked five of the best out there for you. If you’re looking for the best GPS apps for your road trip, any of these will do, but you really cannot go wrong with Offline Maps and Navigation, as well as GPS Navigation & Maps Sygic.