How offline-first works
Introvert Maps is built the opposite way round from most apps. Everything you need works without a connection; the internet is only used to download things ahead of time and to refresh live data, which is then cached for when you go offline.
Download once, use anywhere
Maps, routing data, timetables and search indexes are downloaded while you have Wi-Fi or signal and stored on your device. After that they work with no connection at all. You can download several regions before a trip and the map composites all of them — there’s no single “active” region to switch between.
Progressive fill
Maps are hosted as a grid of small cells. When you download a region the app fetches a coarse overview first, then the detail cells nearest your location first, unioning them on disk. So a usable map appears within seconds and sharpens as more cells arrive — you never wait for a whole country to finish before you can start.
Fetch, cache, and the “as of” banner
Live data — weather forecasts, train delays, river gauge levels, weather alerts — refreshes over the internet when it’s available. The app always keeps the last copy cached, and shows it with an “as of” time when you’re offline, so a cached forecast or delay still helps you and you can see how stale it is.
Small monthly updates
Maps are rebuilt monthly from OpenStreetMap. On an update the app re-fetches only the cells whose content changed — and contour lines, which come from a static elevation model, never change and are never re-sent. Most monthly updates transfer little or nothing.
What still needs a connection
- The first download of a region, timetable, or routing data.
- Refreshing live data (weather, delays, river levels, alerts) — the cached copy is shown offline.
- The on-device AI assistant and translation run entirely offline once any chosen local model is downloaded.
- Routing and search are always on-device once the region is downloaded.