To make sure that you don’t cry every time your data packs expire and blame Google Maps for the same, the search giant is on the verge of introducing a rather interesting, WiFi-only mode to Maps.
Comparing mobile data and WiFi, everyone knows that the latter has many perks over the former. WiFi not just provides a longer battery life for your smartphones, it is often faster and cheaper (of course!) than the traditional internet packs for your phone. Seemingly addressing just this, Google might soon announce an update to Google Maps that comes with a WiFi-only mode.
There are many apps on all platforms that come with a WiFi-only mode. Most of the time these apps consume a lot of background as well as foreground data. To make it convenient for users, developers add in an option to let the app connect to the internet via WiFi only which helps save a lot of cash as well as battery life.
Most mapping and navigation apps on mobile device currently sport amazing offline features. Many of them work seamlessly. But the same cannot be said about Google Maps. Although the app features a service to download maps and use them when you are not connected to a network, it is a hit-or-miss kind of a feature.
On Monday, many users started reporting that the “Offline areas” option in the settings of Google Maps was replaced with a new feature called WiFi-only. Activating this, users will be able to enjoy speedy mapping over WiFi networks. According to the company, majority of the download is done over WiFi. Yet, a small amount of cellular data might still be consumed. Once turned on, a small bar will appear across the top of the screen to make the status obvious.
This feature seems to have shown up in many random users’ devices but some are yet to receive it. There also hasn’t been an official announcement from the tech giant as of yet. In case you haven’t received the feature but want to use it, you can sideload the app through the apk file available here.
