There’s a chance you clicked on this story out of morbid curiosity. After all, an iPad doesn’t seem like the best option for navigation to most people, much less offline. Sometimes, however, an iPad is all you have, and there is one obvious advantage: more content onscreen. You can see more of the surrounding area, and if you’ve got your tablet mounted in a car, buttons will be easier to read and tap.
I’ve successfully traveled around Berlin and Munich on foot, never once tethering to my phone. The trick, though, is to pick an iPad with the right specs — if you get one with cellular, you’ll automatically get free GPS, even if you don’t activate cell service. I’d also suggest sticking with an iPad mini, unless of course you have to make do with something bigger. Even an 11-inch iPad can be unwieldy when you have to pull it out of your bag every few minutes.
Google Maps
The reigning king
You might be wondering why Apple Maps isn’t in this spot. The answer is that Google beat Apple to the punch by seven years, launching the web version of Maps in 2005 before coming to every device under the sun. That translates into excellent coverage worldwide, at least for places with paved paths. Both apps might be suitable for driving and walking — but Google is always the safest bet.
It’s extremely easy to cache areas offline. Just remember that you lose a lot without an active internet connection, even if your iPad is GPS-enabled. That includes things like voice and lane guidance, 3D and satellite views, real-time traffic data, and detailed business information. As for public transit, the most the app can do offline is guide you to a station — you’ll have to check schedules when you get there.
In fact, even biking and walking directions become unavailable. But as long as you can plan and occasionally verify your route, Google Maps is still a handy tool in that regard.
CityMaps2Go
Fit for purpose
This is the app that inspired this list, since it’s what I used to get around Germany. At the time, both battery life and data plans were stingy on smartphones, so I needed a way I could find my way around anytime, anywhere. This did the trick, since it’s explicitly designed as an offline navigation tool with global map packs.
CityMaps2Go doesn’t support turn-by-turn directions, but it does highlight your location, nearby points of interest, and anything you bookmarked before you disconnected. That’s often enough, and it includes list-planning features, so you can build an agenda ahead of time.
Despite its name, the app’s coverage has expanded into remote areas like national parks, giving you the likes of footpaths an altitude contours. It may be all you need for some hikes, though you should always bring a paper backup for long treks. Screens break, batteries drain, and GPS signals fade.
Komoot
For riders and adventurers only
Whereas Google Maps and CityMaps2Go only flirt with going off the beaten path, Komoot is designed around it. It’s intended for people who want to find and record trail experiences, paved or otherwise. Before you go offline, you can pick a preset route or create one of your own, with minute details such as surface types and likely difficulty. On the trail, you should get turn-by-turn directions, and detailed topographic info. Activity types range all the way from hiking and cycling to skiing and unicycling.
Routes are cached automatically when you save them, but you can also download broader region packs if you like. Note that you can probably dodge a Komoot Premium subscription as long as you don’t need features like multi-day support or sport-specific maps.
Some features disappear when you go offline, but not as many as you might think. You can’t plan or edit routes, get automatic re-routing, or share your live location. Re-routing is potentially serious, mind you — the app won’t be able to help you unless you get back to the original path or go online, and it’s all too easy to get lost in the wilderness.
- Brand
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Apple
- Storage
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128GB, 256GB, 512GB
- CPU
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A17 Pro
- Operating System
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iPadOS 18
