Offline Maps

Offline maps allow using the mobile application even without an internet connection. This feature is ideal when traveling to areas with limited signal or abroad when you want to save on data download costs. A benefit of offline maps is their faster loading of map bases – they load directly from your device, which speeds up work with the application. Offline maps allow you navigation even in crisis situations where it is not possible to connect to the internet, for example, due to a lack of mobile signal.

How offline maps work

Downloadable maps are divided into individual countries, within the countries into regions. You can download either entire countries or just selected regions as needed. An offline map of a region always includes all the basic map types (outdoor, winter, basic, traffic) with the exception of aerial maps. Offline maps serve not only for viewing the map base but also for searching for places, planning routes, or navigating without connection.

Downloading offline maps is tied to a logged-in Seznam account, meaning offline maps are available only for that account, even if other accounts are logged into the device.

Free version

You can download an offline map of one country. Including individual regions.

Mapy.com Premium

An unlimited number of offline maps, i.e., countries and regions, are available.

To use offline maps, you need to have enough storage space on your mobile device/external card. Depending on the region, it’s hundreds of MB up to several GB of data. We recommend regularly updating downloaded maps to contain the latest route and point of interest information, so watch for offline map update prompts in the app’s main menu. If you’re planning long trips out of signal, it’s best to download maps in advance before leaving the area with an internet connection, for example, within a hotel or airport on WiFi.

Free Mapy versus Premium

In the free version, you can have an offline map for just one country for free (including individual regions). You can switch the chosen country unlimitedly as needed (e.g., temporarily during a foreign holiday), meaning during the holiday you download maps of the country you intend to visit. After returning home, you change the country again. If you had more maps from several countries downloaded before the Mapy.com Premium service was introduced, you will be prompted to select one country to keep free when managing offline maps. Until you select a country, we will keep all offline maps you’ve downloaded from previous app use. You can continue to use them, but you won’t be able to download new maps or update existing maps. To download further maps or update existing maps, you need to switch to the premium version of the service.

In the Premium version, you have an unlimited number of offline maps available for download. If your premium subscription is ending, you retain all offline maps you downloaded during the subscription. You can continue to use them, but you won’t be able to download new maps or update existing ones. You can choose one country to keep updated, but you will lose other maps. To download further maps or update existing ones, we recommend switching back to Mapy.com Premium.

How to download offline maps

To download and manage offline maps, you need to be logged in with a user account. In the main menu of the app, select Offline maps. The next steps depend on the app version.

Free application, you have no offline maps downloaded yet

A promo screen with the option to purchase the premium version at the bottom will appear. Choose the option One offline map free, and a list of countries with offline bases will appear; most countries can be opened to view available maps of regions. At the top, there is an option Might interest you, showing map base suggestions nearby based on detected position. If you want to find out what area a region covers, you can long press on the region’s name and select Show on map from the menu.

Free application, you have already downloaded offline maps in the past

If you are migrating from the original app version to a new free version or if your subscription has expired, a Select button will appear next to already downloaded countries. It will also appear for countries that are already downloaded for other logged-in accounts. Upon selecting during migration, you confirm your choice of a free country, and other offline maps belonging to the currently logged-in account will be deleted.

Paid app version

You will see a list of countries with offline bases available, and most countries can be opened to view the available maps of regions. You can download any number of countries/regions without restriction according to your needs.

After selecting a map to download, details will appear, including information about the size of the map to be downloaded. If your device has an SD card or multiple storages, you can choose where to save offline bases. The app will remember this choice for the future and won’t ask again. As soon as the download starts, the items being downloaded will appear in the queue along with the progress of the download. Immediately after downloading, maps are available for offline use; nothing else needs to be set or enabled.

Downloaded regions go through four statuses: not downloaded, downloading, partially downloaded (download started, but paused), and downloaded.

If you have maps partially downloaded or are currently downloading and not completed, they will not work offline. Offline maps must always be completely downloaded. Deleting regions is possible via the Trash icon. If a country is being downloaded, you can delete it by long pressing on the country’s name.

Offline map base updates

Map base updates occur approximately 7 times a year. When ready to download, it is offered in the app. During the update, the map drawing, planning network (routing), search database, and places database are changed. We distinguish between two types of updates:

For a large update, you always need to update all map bases at once because they are not compatible with the originally downloaded ones
In a small update, it’s possible to update only some regions as needed

We generally recommend having only the necessary offline maps in the app. Ideally, start the update when you have a stable internet connection.

Searching and planning in offline maps

Offline searching

Within offline maps, you can search; however, the search database is limited to the most common queries and data. The app can find addresses and places without an internet connection. In the case of business places, only those directly marked on the map (have their icon) are found. The currency of the offline search database may range within weeks to about a quarter of a year.

Offline planning

In an offline map, you can also plan routes and then navigate; however, planning is only possible in areas where you have maps downloaded. So if you want to plan a route in offline mode from, for example, Czech Republic to Spain, you need to have France, Germany, or at least regions through which the route should lead downloaded. If you don’t have the necessary offline map bases downloaded and aren’t connected to the internet, you are warned when attempting to create a plan that an internet connection or offline maps download is required for planning.

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