Do Apple Watch offline maps update automatically?

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Do Apple Watch offline maps update automatically?

Hi. I have three offline maps stored on my iPhone 16 Pro and Apple Watch Series 9. The maps automatically update themselves every few days on my phone, but the maps on my watch never update. This results in the maps on my watch expiring, and the only way to get them back is to turn the 'sync to Apple Watch' option off and back on again. This frequent manual intervention is annoying.

I have checked the following:

The Apple Watch is usually connected to Wi-Fi while on the charger.
My iPhone is also connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
In Apple Maps, the 'sync to Apple Watch' option is turned on.
In Apple Maps, the 'automatic updates' option is turned on.

Does anyone know whether the Apple Watch offline maps are supposed to update automatically and, if so, what exactly triggers this?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Apple Watch Series 9, watchOS 11

Posted on Mar 5, 2025 07:06 PM

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Answer 1

Ala221240 Author

Level 1

19 points

Mar 23, 2025 08:57 PM in response to TwlightCitizen

Thanks for your feedback.

This procedure is effective for loading the maps onto the watch initially, but the maps never update thereafter. This is problematic as the maps expire and become unusable after about a week.

The only way to have ongoing use of the maps is to manually delete them from the watch and then reload them again once a week. I would have thought there would be a better way of doing it, but apparently not.

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Answer 2

Mar 16, 2025 01:44 PM in response to Ala221240

I think I figured it out.

Try this:

Open Maps on your Apple Watch
Tap Search at Bottom Right
Tap your Avatar at Top Right
Scroll Down and Tap Offline Maps
Tap the Offline Map to Update

From there, there should be an option to download the map. I forget exactly how it was labeled. Right now, it's showing pending on mine because I tapped it a few minutes ago, and it's still downloading.

It is a little unintuitive that it's buried behind search instead of a settings option or hamburger looking menu that would make more sense.

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Answer 3

May 4, 2025 05:00 AM in response to Ala221240

I might have discovered another aspect of this issue that could help others in this situation: I got the offline maps on my Apple Watch to update once I put it on its charger and opened Maps on my iPhone to start the sync.

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Do Apple Watch offline maps update automatically?

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