FILE PHOTO: Google will be rolling out offline support for Google Maps on smartwatches running Wear OS including the new Pixel Watch 3.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Google will be rolling out offline support for Google Maps on smartwatches running Wear OS including the new Pixel Watch 3 which was recently launched at the Made by Google event on August 13. A 9to5Google report has stated that the update is now showing up for users.
Once users have updated their Google Maps on Wear OS to the latest version, they will see a new banner saying, “Offline maps on the phone are auto-downloaded to the watch.” A new page called “Offline maps” also shows up under the Settings tab on the app.
The report also stated that when connected to a Wi-Fi network and charging, it will sync offline maps that are already on your phone. Besides this, Google Maps for Wear OS will also automatically download a map of your area.
This means that if users have a Wi-Fi only Wear OS smartwatch without a phone at hand, they can access offline maps and if they have a Wi-Fi+LTE Wear OS without a mobile network, offline maps will still work.
The app will also inform users just how much space it is consuming so users can delete downloaded maps with a single click.
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The update is reportedly available on Galaxy watches that run Wear OS as well, like the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and in models up until the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 that was launched in 2021.
The feature is being rolled out gradually in phases.
Next month, Apple is expected to launch their new Apple Watch 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 at their annually held WWDC event.