Offline turn-by-turn directions coming to Google Maps app

Google will soon let Android users save maps and turn-by-turn directions offline, so they can be accessed in areas with poor or no data coverage.

Included with a number of announcements about improving Android's speed and efficiency in countries with poor mobile coverage, the search giant said driving and walking directions will soon be saved offline. The routes must be saved in advance, and there will presumably be a limit to how much can be saved at a time.

No matter what these limitations will be, this is still a huge benefit for smartphone users who live in an area with poor mobile coverage, or who are taking a road trip to an unfamiliar area with patchy 3G coverage.

Since GPS doesn't rely on the mobile networks, your phone will work just as it does when connected to 3G or 4G. With no signal, the app will continue to deliver spoken directions and visual maps, and calculate your time of arrival.