Google has officially announced the rollout of offline maps in Google Maps on Wear OS watches, including the Pixel Watch 1 and 2, OnePlus Watch, recent Galaxy Watches, and more. The feature has been slowly trickling for a couple of weeks, but it should now be available to everyone and I think you should put it to good use right away, just like I did before packing for a 10-day trip to Albania.
The truth is that no one plans to be lost in unfamiliar areas with no connection, but unexpected things do happen at the most unexpected of times. I like to be prepared, and since I live in a relatively new country and like to travel to even more unfamiliar places, I rely on Google Maps a lot to guide me around. I also always download the offline map of my current city to my phone, just in case I’m in an area with a spotty connection. But what happens when the phone’s battery runs out? Well, offline maps on smartwatches come to the rescue!