Medford, Ore. – With thousands of eclipse tourists headed to Oregon, there is a fear cell towers will become overloaded, making cell phone maps useless.
KING 5 reports some are turning to paper maps, but they’re selling out fast.
Police said to expect cell service to fail, including data and map apps.
If you don’t have access to a paper map, then you may want to take precautions while you still can.
Google Maps has an “offline maps” feature that allows you to choose a map area and save it to your phone in the event you lose cell service.
To enable the feature, tap on the three bars next to the search box on the top of the screen.
This will bring up a side menu where you can select “offline maps” and select your map.
If you’re using Apple Maps, you’ll have to open the app and select your destination, then tap “route.”
Apple Maps will use cached information to guide you, but you can’t change your route.
MAPS.ME is another alternative. It will download a map to your phone for easy offline navigation. Just search for MAP.ME in your app store.
Just remember, the maps won’t update with current traffic information when you’re offline.
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