How to Download Amap (Gaode) Offline Maps: 2026 Guide for Foreign Travelers如何下载高德地图（Amap）离线地图：2026 外国游客指南

1 Why Amap offline maps matter on a China trip (even with an eSIM) 为什么离线地图对来华旅行这么重要（就算你有 eSIM）

Chinese carriers cover the cities well, but dead zones sit exactly where travelers go: subway platforms, long tunnels, mountain roads, the edges of day-trip destinations. An eSIM doesn't help when the signal itself disappears.中国运营商在城市的覆盖很好，但信号死角恰恰出现在游客常去的地方：地铁站台、长隧道、山路，以及郊区一日游目的地的边缘地带。信号本身消失时，再好的 eSIM 也帮不上忙。

There's a second problem: Google Maps doesn't function in mainland China, and its coordinates can sit 50–200 meters off China's shifted map standard (GCJ-02).还有第二个问题：Google Maps 在中国大陆无法正常使用，而且由于中国地图坐标体系（GCJ-02）的偏移，它的定位可以偏差 50–200 米。

Amap (an Alibaba platform with 780 million monthly users) is what Chinese people actually use, and its offline mode is the most complete you'll find in China.Amap（阿里巴巴旗下平台，月活 7.8 亿）才是中国人真正在用的地图，离线功能在国内同类 App 里最完善。

Sarah, a teacher from Manchester, learned this on the Beijing subway: rush hour, packed platform, one bar of signal, and no map to fall back on. The offline download she'd skipped the night before would have taken four minutes.来自曼彻斯特的教师 Sarah 是在北京地铁上领教这一点的。晚高峰，站台挤满人，只剩一格信号，手里却没有一张能兜底的地图。而她前一晚偷懒没做的离线下载，其实只要四分钟。

Planning your connectivity now? Start with staying connected in China with an eSIM or local SIM, set it up with our eSIM walkthrough for iPhone and Android, then download your maps over hotel Wi-Fi — what you set up now keeps working when everything else stops.正在规划上网方案？ 先从 staying connected in China with an eSIM or local SIM（中国上网：eSIM 或本地卡指南） 看起，照着 eSIM walkthrough for iPhone and Android（iPhone 与 Android 的 eSIM 设置教程） 装好，然后用酒店 Wi-Fi 下载地图——这几分钟的设置，会在其他一切断掉时照样为你工作。

Still deciding between apps? See which map apps actually work in China.还在纠结用哪个地图 App？看这里：which map apps actually work in China（哪些地图 App 在中国真正能用）。

• Visa.签证。 Check whether you need one, and which type, with our 先确认是否需要办、办哪一类，看我们的 China visa guide中国签证指南.。
• Payments.支付。 Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you land, our 落地前先用外卡把支付宝或微信支付绑好，见 how-to-pay guide支付指南 walks through it.。
• Connectivity.联网。 Pick a data option that still works when the map goes offline, see 选一个即使地图离线也够用的上网方案，见 eSIM vs SIM vs roamingeSIM、SIM 与漫游对比.。

2 Before you start: which Amap app to download 开始之前：先下载对的那个 Amap

Getting the right app matters more than it should, because the official app may go by more than one name.下对 App 比想象中重要，因为同一个官方 App 在不同商店的挂名不止一个。

• iPhone: search "Amap" in the App Store. The official app (published by AutoNavi) is on non-China storefronts and supports English.iPhone：在 App Store 搜索「Amap」。官方 App（由 AutoNavi 发布）在非中国区商店也能下载，支持英文。
• Android: search "Amap" on Google Play (`com.autonavi.minimap`). No Google Play? Get the official APK from mobile.amap.com. Official sources only.Android：在 Google Play 搜索「Amap」（`com.autonavi.minimap`）。用不了 Google Play？去 mobile.amap.com 取官方 APK。只从官方渠道下载。
• Verify the publisher. The official app comes from AutoNavi. Depending on your storefront, it may be listed as "Amap" or "AMap Global". Menu labels can differ between builds, so if something doesn't match this guide, look for the Chinese label instead (e.g., 离线地图). The English interface rolled out in January 2025 for international visitors — Shanghai's municipal government covered it at the time.认准开发商。 官方 App 出自 AutoNavi（高德）。不同商店里它可能以「Amap」或「AMap Global」上架——菜单名可能略有不同，对不上时认中文标签（如「离线地图」）。英文界面于 2025 年 1 月上线，面向国际游客，上海市政府官网当月曾作报道。

Open the app once over Wi-Fi before your flight. First time setting up? Our full Amap setup guide covers installation, English mode, and payments.起飞前先用 Wi-Fi 打开一次 App。第一次设置？Our full Amap setup guide（Amap 完整设置指南） 从安装讲到英文模式和支付设置。

3 Do you need an account, a Chinese number, or English mode? 需要账号、中国手机号或英文模式吗？

Short answer: no, no, and yes.简短回答：不用、不用、需要。

• No account needed. Amap works as a guest; login only syncs favorites.不需要账号。 Amap 可游客模式使用；登录只为同步收藏。
• No Chinese phone number needed. Only registration asks for one; offline downloads never do.不需要中国手机号。 只有注册才需要；下载离线地图从来不要求。
• English mode: available, and Amap offline maps work in it. Some travel sites, including big booking platforms, still say the English version doesn't support offline maps. That's outdated.英文模式：有，且 Amap 离线地图在英文界面下可用。 有些旅行网站（包括大型预订平台）仍称英文版不支持离线地图。那是过时信息。
• Menu label looks different? Look for 离线地图 (offline maps). Same screen, same function, just labeled in Chinese on some older builds.菜单名称不一样？ 认准中文字「离线地图」(Offline Maps)。同一个页面、同一个功能，只是部分旧版把标签写成了中文。

And "Gaode" is just the Chinese name (高德) of the same app: a "gaode map offline download English" search leads to the same download.而「Gaode」只是同一个 App 的中文名（高德）：搜「gaode map offline download english」找到的就是同一个下载。

The language can flip back after an update. Here's how to switch Amap to English.App 更新后语言可能又切回中文。看这里：how to switch Amap to English（如何把 Amap 切换成英文）。

4 How to download Amap offline maps on Android (step by step) 如何在 Android 上下载 Amap 离线地图（分步操作）

The in-app steps are the same on every phone — the platform differences are installation and storage. Android first.App 内步骤在所有手机上相同——平台差异只在安装和存储管理上。先讲 Android。

1. Open Amap and tap Me (我的) in the bottom-right corner. Everything here works as a guest.打开 Amap，点右下角的 Me（我的）。全部操作游客模式即可完成。
2. Tap Offline Maps (离线地图).点 Offline Maps（离线地图）。
3. Open the City List (城市列表) tab.打开 City List（城市列表） 标签页。
4. Find your city — scroll or search the full list of Chinese cities.找到你的城市——滚动或搜索完整的城市列表。
5. Tap the download arrow next to the city name.点城市名称旁的下载箭头。
6. Choose "Map + Navigation" (地图 + 导航), not "Map only" (仅地图). This one tap decides whether offline navigation works at all.选择「地图 + 导航」（Map + Navigation），不要选「仅地图」（Map only）。 这一下决定离线导航到底能不能用。
7. Confirm, and keep the app open until the download finishes. A city takes a few minutes.确认，让 App 保持打开直到下载完成。一个城市几分钟就好。
8. Repeat for every city on your route, day-trip stops included.行程中每个城市重复一遍，一日游目的地也算。

Android notes:Android 补充说明：

• Download over Wi-Fi — a multi-city bundle can pass 1GB.用 Wi-Fi 下载——多城市包可超过 1GB。
• Clearing the app cache doesn't delete your Amap offline maps. Removing a bundle takes an extra step (see below).清 App 缓存不会删掉你的 Amap 离线地图。要删地图包需多做一步（见下文）。
• APK installs ask you to allow "unknown sources" once. Approve, then switch it back off.APK 安装会弹一次「允许安装未知来源应用」。允许后，装完记得关回去。

5 How to download Amap offline maps on iPhone (iOS) 如何在 iPhone（iOS）上下载 Amap 离线地图

Same path on iOS: Me → Offline Maps → City List → your city → Map + Navigation → Download. Three iPhone-specific points:iOS 上路径完全一样：Me → Offline Maps → City List → 选城市 → 地图 + 导航 → Download。 三个 iPhone 特有的注意事项：

1. Install from any App Store region. The official app is available outside China, so set it up before you fly.任何区 App Store 都能装。 官方 App 中国区以外也有上架，出发前就能装好设置好。
2. Don't background big downloads. iOS may pause a large download once Amap leaves the screen. Keep the app open until a city finishes.别让大下载在后台跑。 Amap 切到后台时，iOS 可能暂停大文件下载。让 App 保持前台直到城市下载完成。
3. Check storage in iOS settings: Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Amap shows the real footprint, useful on a 64GB phone.用 iOS 设置看占用： 设置 → 通用 → iPhone 储存空间 → Amap 显示实际占用，64GB 手机尤其值得看一眼。

App frozen right after a big download? Force-close and reopen; the data is saved.刚下完大文件 App 卡住？强制关闭再打开即可，数据已经存好。

6 Map vs "Map + Navigation": the toggle that decides if offline navigation works 「地图」vs「地图 + 导航」：决定离线导航能否用的那个开关

Read this even if you skip everything else. It's why people end up with an "offline map" that can't navigate.这一节就算其他全跳过也要看。这正是人们拿到「没法导航的离线地图」的原因。

Amap gives you two resource types per city. Its official help pages call them 仅地图 (map only) and 地图 + 导航 (map + navigation):Amap 为每个城市提供两种资源类型。官方帮助页把它们称为「仅地图」（map only）和「地图 + 导航」（map + navigation）：

Want navigation with no signal? Always pick Map + Navigation. It's the bigger download, and the only version that gets you home.要断网也能导航？永远选「地图 + 导航」。它文件更大，也是唯一能把你带回家的版本。

Marco, a photographer from Toronto, assumed "offline" meant offline and downloaded Shanghai as a plain map. Two days later, out in a water town, the app politely told him it couldn't calculate a route back to his hotel. Five minutes of hotel Wi-Fi fixed it — but finding that Wi-Fi was the hard part.来自多伦多的摄影师 Marco 就栽在一个想当然上：他把上海下载成了纯地图包，以为「离线」就是离线。两天后，在郊区水乡，App 礼貌地告诉他算不出一条回酒店的路线。用酒店 Wi-Fi 重下，五分钟解决——但找到那 Wi-Fi 才是最难的一步。

Downloading for a road trip? Once you're covering distance, the navigation bundle isn't optional. Tunnels and rural roads will find every gap in your signal. Renting a car in China as a foreigner covers what else you'll need.准备自驾？ 一旦跑长途，「地图 + 导航」包就不是可选项。隧道和乡间道路会找到你信号的每一个缺口。Renting a car in China as a foreigner（外国人在中国租车指南） 覆盖你上路前需要的一切。

7 How much storage do Amap offline maps take? (real numbers) Amap 离线地图占多大存储？（真实数字）

Ask five guides and you'll get five numbers: 50MB, 150MB, 300MB, "about 500MB." They describe different bundles, which is why none of them match. Here's the honest version:问五篇攻略，你会得到五个数字：50MB、150MB、300MB、「大约 500MB」。它们说的是不同的包，所以数字自然对不上。真实情况如下：

Two practical notes:两个实用提醒：

• The app shows the exact size before download. Treat that as the truth — sizes vary by city and data version.确认下载前 App 会显示确切大小。 以这个数字为准——大小因城市和数据版本而异。
• Plan for a few cities, not one. Three or four cities total roughly 600MB–2GB, depending on the bundles.按几个城市做预算，而不是一个。 三四个城市合计大约 600MB–2GB，取决于你选的包。

Download after deleting photos, not after filling your last free gigabyte.先删照片再下载，别等到只剩最后 1GB 才动手。

8 How to update Amap offline maps (don't navigate last year's roads) 如何更新 Amap 离线地图（别用去年的路导航）

1. Tap Me → Offline Maps → Downloaded (已下载).点 Me → Offline Maps → Downloaded（我的 → 离线地图 → 已下载）。
2. Tap Update (更新) next to a city, or Update All (全部更新) at the bottom.点城市旁的 Update（更新），或列表底部的 Update All（全部更新）。
3. Amap updates incrementally (only what changed), but stay on Wi-Fi; totals add up.Amap 是增量更新（只下变化的部分），但建议在 Wi-Fi 下更新；累积总量并不小。

Turn on auto-update and the app keeps cities fresh over Wi-Fi. Worth it: China builds fast, and a stale map will happily route you toward construction.顺手打开自动更新，App 会在 Wi-Fi 下保持城市数据最新。值得开：中国基建速度快，而过期的地图会一本正经地把你导向施工路段。

Do they expire? Not on a timer. A bundle keeps working indefinitely. But data ages: last year's map may miss an exit that opened this spring. Over a year old? Refresh before you fly.会过期吗？ 不会按时间过期。离线包可以一直使用。但数据会变旧：去年的地图可能没有今年春天新开的出口。超过一年了？出发前刷新一遍。

9 How to delete Amap offline maps and free up space 如何删除 Amap 离线地图、释放空间

Deleting takes a minute and can free a gigabyte. The reverse of the download:删除大约花一分钟，能释放一个 G。它是下载的反向操作：

1. Open Me → Offline Maps → Downloaded.打开 Me → Offline Maps → Downloaded（我的 → 离线地图 → 已下载）。
2. Tap Edit (编辑), or long-press a city.点 Edit（编辑），或在列表中长按某个城市。
3. Select the city → Delete (删除).选中城市 → Delete（删除）。

To clear everything, select all cities, then check two spots that don't delete themselves:要全部清空，全选城市，再检查两处不会跟着删除的地方：

• Cache: settings include a cache-clearing option; Amap's official help confirms you can wipe all offline data when you need maximum space.缓存：设置里有清缓存选项；Amap 官方帮助确认，需要最大空间时可以清空缓存、删除全部离线数据。
• Voice packages: extra voice files sit outside map bundles and quietly take up space of their own.语音包：额外的语音文件不在地图包内，也会悄悄占掉一部分空间。

Timing tip: delete a city after you leave it, not before. Re-downloading needs decent Wi-Fi, and hotel Wi-Fi in China isn't always decent.时机提醒：离开一个城市之后再删，别提前删。重新下载需要像样的 Wi-Fi，而中国的酒店 Wi-Fi 不一定像样。

10 What works offline in Amap — and what still needs data Amap 离线能做什么、什么仍然需要联网

Once your maps are downloaded, here's where the line falls:下载完地图后，界线是这样的：

Works offline (airplane mode included):离线可用（含飞行模式）：

• Map display, zoom, pan地图显示、缩放、平移
• Your GPS position — satellite-based, never needs your data planGPS 定位——靠卫星，从来不依赖你的流量套餐
• Offline route planning, turn-by-turn directions, voice guidance (with the Map + Navigation bundle)离线路线规划、转弯提示、语音导航（需「地图 + 导航」包）
• Saved places and favorites收藏地点
• Chinese addresses, pin locations, and map screenshots — more useful than it sounds中文地址、地图定位点、地图截图——比听起来有用得多

Still needs data:仍然需要联网：

• Live traffic and traffic-based rerouting实时路况与基于路况的重新规划
• Real-time bus and metro arrivals公交、地铁实时到站
• Ride-hailing (the cars are on the road, not in your download)打车（车在路上跑，不在你的下载包里）
• Map updates themselves地图更新本身

Need a ride? See how to use DiDi in China before you land.要打车？ 落地前先看 how to use DiDi in China（如何在中国用滴滴）。

Priya, a traveler from Denver, couldn't pronounce her Shanghai hotel's name, let alone explain it to a taxi driver. She pulled up the hotel pin on her offline map and showed the screen. The driver nodded. Ten seconds, zero Chinese, zero data.来自丹佛的旅客 Priya 不会读她上海酒店名字的发音，更别说给出租车司机解释了。她把离线地图上的酒店定位点调出来，屏给司机看。司机点点头。十秒钟，零中文，零流量。

One quirk: some place names stay Chinese-only even in English mode, hence the screenshot habit in the checklist below.有一个小毛病：即使在英文模式下，部分地名也还是纯中文，所以下面清单里的「截图」习惯很有必要。

The surprise for most people: GPS works in airplane mode. Your phone's GPS chip listens to satellites, not cell towers. Data off, location on, and Amap still pins you within meters.最让人意外的一点：GPS 在飞行模式下照样工作。 手机 GPS 芯片听的是卫星，不是基站。关数据、留定位，Amap 依然能把你定位在几米范围内。

Taking the metro? Offline maps get you to the right station; reading Chinese metro and bus systems gets you through it.要坐地铁？ 离线地图把你带到正确的车站；reading Chinese metro and bus systems（看懂中国的地铁与公交系统） 带你穿过去。

11 The 10-minute pre-trip checklist (do this before your China trip) 行前 10 分钟清单（去中国前做完这些）

Ten minutes, the night before you fly:起飞前一晚，十分钟就够：

1. Install Amap (App Store or Google Play) and open it once. Still picking apps? Start with the must-have apps for your China trip.安装 Amap（App Store 或 Google Play）并打开一次。还在挑 App？先从 the must-have apps for your China trip（中国行必装 App） 看起。
2. Set the interface to English if it isn't already.把界面切换到英文（如果还不是）。
3. Download every city on your itinerary as Map + Navigation, over Wi-Fi.行程中每个城市都下载成「地图 + 导航」，用 Wi-Fi。
4. Add day-trip and transit cities. The Great Wall, a water town, a city you're only passing through, exactly where coverage thins out.加上一日游和中转城市。 长城、水乡、只是路过的城市，恰恰是信号最薄的地方。
5. Save your hotel and key addresses as favorites on the map.把酒店和关键地址存为地图收藏。
6. Screenshot your hotel's Chinese name and address. An offline map plus a screenshot is the most reliable combo in the country.截图酒店的中文名和地址。 离线地图 + 截图，在中国最可靠的组合。
7. Test in airplane mode. Data off, open the map, find yourself, search for your hotel. If it works, stop worrying.用飞行模式实测一遍。 关数据、打开地图、找到自己、搜一下酒店。能用，就别再操心了。

Want the arrival part covered too? Your first 24 hours in China picks up where this list ends.想把落地流程也安排好？Your first 24 hours in China（抵华头 24 小时） 正好接着这份清单往下讲。

Frequently asked questions常见问题