Check Map is Downloaded and Available Offline on iOS

This article will show you how to check that a map is completely downloaded for offline use.

Note for Apple devices: you need to leave the app open  on the screen (in the foreground) and leave your screen on for the map to download.  Don't switch to another app or let your screen turn off, or it will pause the download.  To stop your screen from turning off, open iOS Settings > Display and Brightness > Auto-lock > set to Never.  To resume a paused download, see Pause/Resume Map Downloads on iOS.

If Auto-resume is turned off in the Gaia GPS settings and a download gets interrupted for any reason (like navigating away from the app), the download won't resume automatically. Follow these steps to resume it: Pause/Resume Map Downloads on iOS.

1. Tap the Saved icon and change the filter in the top left to Maps.

2.  If the map is slightly faded, it is incomplete.  (If you aren't seeing the expanded view, tap the 3 dots in the upper right corner and change Row Detail to Expanded).

To resume the download:  tap on the map > More > Resume Download.  

If the download is complete, you won't see a 'Resume Download' option, like the picture below:

4. To follow the progress of the download, go back to the Saved menu and you'll see a progress bar:

Common Questions and Troubleshooting

Testing offline downloads by putting your device in airplane mode

Putting your device in airplane mode is not a foolproof way of testing your offline downloads due to how the app caches map tiles.  Tiles are the individual images that compose a digital map.  When you are online, the app caches commonly viewed tiles to make the map load faster.  Cached tiles display while offline.  When you put your phone in airplane mode, you won't be able to tell if you are looking at cached or downloaded tiles. The cached tiles are cleared out periodically, so make sure you check your downloads with the steps above.