Google Maps Will Make Its Rivals Look Ridiculous If This Offline Maps Feature Launches

The lack of a permanent data connection is a serious challenge on multiple levels, including from a navigation perspective. Losing the Internet connection is one of the worst things that could happen when route guidance is enabled.

Waze, for example, needs an Internet connection to download and upload traffic information and to look for alternate routes. When the connection drops, it sticks with the current route without updating the traffic data ahead.

Offline maps have therefore become fairly important for drivers, especially when traveling outside the city. Long journeys make offline maps almost a must-have, as they help navigate in areas with spotty cellular reception and to avoid extra fees when going abroad.

Google Maps has long been offering offline maps, but in my opinion, the download process is a major pain in the neck. The application does not allow you to download the maps for a whole country but only select a certain section on the map. If you plan to go on a road trip, you must download multiple selections. Other navigation apps allow you to download the maps for select cities and countries, making the process more convenient.

However, despite the download system, offline maps continue to play an integral role in the experience with a navigation app. And Google now wants to make the whole thing significantly more advanced in Google Maps.

A recent patent called "prioritized provision and retrieval of offline map data" describes a new system that would allow Google Maps to download offline maps automatically as you drive. In other words, the necessary data can be downloaded in the background whenever it is needed without you doing anything. Navigation will just continue uninterrupted, as Google Maps has the required maps even when the Internet connection drops.

Google explains in the patent that it can use aggregate data to determine when and how it downloads offline maps.

Let's say you leave on a 1,000-mile journey through cities and rural areas where the Internet connection is likely to drop. Google Maps can provide navigation, and based on an analysis conducted in the background with aggregate data, it can anticipate when you're the most likely to lose the Internet connection. When you approach the location, Google Maps can automatically begin downloading the offline maps in the background.

If the device has 5G speeds, you won't notice the background downloads. Once the necessary maps are stored on the device, Google Maps can automatically switch to offline mode when your connection drops. When the cellular signal is restored, the navigation app can go back online, so it'll switch to the live mode where all the other information, including traffic data, is available. The application can restart the process when needed, so more offline maps can be downloaded in advance as you approach a region with known cellular signal drops.

In case you wonder how Google Maps can tell in advance that you're likely to experience a connection drop, it all comes down to the aggregate data I told you about earlier. The application collects information from other devices, so it can tell precisely where you're more likely to lose Internet access.

At the same time, the feature can also be further enhanced with additional options. For instance, Google Maps can support automatic offline map data downloads when going abroad. The application can help avoid excessive roaming fees by downloading offline maps when you approach the border.

Using historical data, Google Maps can also predict when you're expected to go to a route with a poor cellular signal. Suppose you use a certain route regularly, and you typically experience connection drops on your way to the destination. In that case, Google Maps learns the behavior and helps deal with this shortcoming by downloading the offline maps in advance.

Of course, the application can also remove the downloaded data from the device in order to preserve the storage place. Google explains that downloads are always prioritized. Low-connectivity regions are always favored over high-connectivity regions, so only the necessary maps are downloaded first.

At this point, the new technology is still in the patent stage, but given the fierce battle in the navigation space, I'm almost certain Google is already exploring several ways to improve key Google Maps components. The automatic offline map downloads could also help EVs and self-driving vehicles, as this feature could guarantee that the necessary data is always available. Google Maps is also the default navigation solution on Android Automotive, the company's embedded OS powering EVs, being able to read more vehicle data, including the battery level and the estimated range.

If you want to check out the full patent, I've attached it at the end of the story, right after the jump.