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Google Maps / Waze → Organic Maps

100% offline maps. No ads, no tracking. Excellent for hiking, cycling, and driving. Waze is owned by Google — same data collection. A partial replacement — keep Google Maps for transit and Street View.

About 15 minutes Quick win
1

Install Organic Maps

3 minutes

Download Organic Maps from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android). Open the app. Allow location access when prompted — this stays on your device and is never sent to any server. The app is free, open source, and contains no ads.

What you should see

A clean map interface showing your current location. No ads, no sign-up prompts, no tracking notices.

2

Download offline maps for your area

5 minutes

Tap the menu icon (three lines), then tap Download Maps. Select your country or region. Map files range from 50MB to 2GB depending on the area. Download over WiFi. Once downloaded, all features work completely offline — navigation, search, bookmarks. Download maps for any areas you travel to regularly.

What you should see

Your region's map downloads. Enable airplane mode and search for a nearby address — it still works.

3

Test navigation

5 minutes

Search for a destination you know well. Tap it, then tap Route. Choose driving, walking, or cycling. Tap Start to begin turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance. The routing uses OpenStreetMap data, which is community-maintained and often more detailed than commercial maps for trails and cycling paths.

What you should see

Turn-by-turn directions with voice prompts. The route matches what you expect for a familiar destination.

4

Save your favourite places

5 minutes

Search for places you visit often — home, work, favourite shops. Tap each location and tap the bookmark icon to save it. Create categories to organise your bookmarks. All bookmarks are stored locally on your device, never uploaded to any server. You can export them as a KML file for backup.

What you should see

Bookmarked places appear as pins on the map. Tap the bookmarks icon to see your saved list.

Troubleshooting

Business information is outdated or missing
OpenStreetMap data is community-maintained. Business hours and contact details are less complete than Google Maps. For finding specific businesses, keep Google Maps as a backup for now. Organic Maps excels at navigation itself.
No real-time traffic information
Organic Maps does not collect location data from users, so it cannot show real-time traffic. For commutes where traffic matters, use Google Maps for that specific trip. Use Organic Maps for everything else.
Cannot find a specific address
Try searching with fewer details — street name without number, or the neighbourhood name. New developments may not yet be in OpenStreetMap. You can contribute missing data at openstreetmap.org to improve maps for everyone.
No public transit directions
Organic Maps has limited transit support. For public transport, use your city's official transit app or keep Google Maps for transit-only searches. Organic Maps covers driving, walking, and cycling well.
I use Waze — do I need to switch too?
Waze was acquired by Google in 2013 and shares data with Google's advertising infrastructure. If you switched away from Google Maps for privacy reasons, Waze sends the same location data to the same company. Organic Maps collects no location data at all. The trade-off: you lose Waze's crowd-sourced speed traps and real-time traffic rerouting.

What to do next