Gadgetory

Google is long-held the lead when it comes to their mapping technology in their Maps app but as version 7 of maps for android rolls out to smartphones and tablets one of Google's lesser-known but very useful Maps features has gone missing I'm talking about offline maps the ability to call out a section of a map and save that data so that you can interact with it even when you don't have an internet connection if you're traveling and you want to avoid roaming fees but still have access to local maps this feature is a real lifesaver the good news is that offline maps haven't disappeared in version 7 they've just been relocated instead of finding offline mode in the menu zoom in to a section of map that you'd like accessible offline and then tap the search bar and you should see an option above the keyboard for make this map area available offline you can do the same thing by typing ok maps into the search box and will automatically cache the map on your screen for offline use now once you have your map saved you can turn off your Wi-Fi connection you can turn off your data connection and you're still gonna be able to zoom in on that section of map and even locate yourself on that section of map as long as you have GPS enabled on your device now be aware the offline maps aren't available for all regions Paris worked but Tokyo didn't New Zealand no problem that South Korea no luck worst case scenario you can try taking a screenshot of the map by pressing the home button and the power button simultaneously or in the case of the Nexus 7 here pressing the screen lock button and the volume down buttons at the same time so that's offline mode in Google Maps for Android version 7 more tips like this including four extra tips for the new Google Maps head over to how to cnet.com I'm Donald Bell travel safely