Google Maps now lets you save offline directions

Google is delivering on one of its best promises from this year's I/O conference.

In a push to make Google Maps more relevant in developing markets with limited internet service, Google began rolling out offline navigation to its Android app Tuesday with the feature coming soon for iOS. The feature will allow Google Maps users to download navigation and location information over Wi-Fi to be used later when cell service isn't consistently available.

While anyone who's driven on heavily wooded country backroads will appreciate turn-by-turn directions without a cell connection, Google is pushing this more heavily toward developing markets. In its announcement post, Google notes that around 60% of the world doesn't have internet access, while the remaining 40% isn't entirely super-fast Wi-Fi or LTE. Read more...