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This is a brief guide that will show you how to download offline maps on Hiiker. Offline maps are important when you are on the trail. They ensure that you have access to maps when you are in the mountains when cell phone coverage can be weak or you cannot receive signal at all. The maps will continue to work without problem.
1. Download the maps from the trail overview page
When you are on the Trail Overview screen (Fig 1.0), tap on the download button. This will present the Offline Maps Dialog. It is worth noting this functionality is available for all users for free.
2. Tap download on the relevant layer you want to download
In this dialog you are presented with 2 download buttons for two different map styles. The top style is the “Waymarked Trails” style. This style will always be smaller in size and download much faster. The quality is generally excellent and it will give you a good views of both the trail, the contours of hills and moutnains, and other trails and towns nearby the trail. To download it simply tap on the download button and wait for the download to finish before dismissing the dialogue.
The second layer available is the “OSM Outdoors” layer which is much larger in size but will offer high quality maps with more detail in the contours and around towns. Either style is more than acceptable for use on the trail, I generally download both to give myself options.
Its important, when you press the download button, to wait for the download to finish, otherwise you will have to wait start the download again.
3. View the downloaded maps
One you have downloaded the offline maps from the Trail Overview screen (Fig 1.0), click on “View Trail Map” button, then click on the Map Style Selection button (as demonstrated in Fig 3.0). There you will see large Yellow Ticks (see Fig 3.1) indicating that that layer is downloaded for offline use and will be automatically used by the system. If you would like to use online maps again for this trail, select one of the other styles, or delete the offline maps.