Offline maps

Offline Maps allow Anonomi to work with location data without leaking metadata to third-party map providers.

Instead of querying online map services, Anonomi can use locally stored map tiles, keeping map usage fully offline and under your control.

Why offline maps matter

Online maps leak more than just coordinates.

Every map request can reveal:

Where you are
When you are there
What locations you search for
Which device is making the request

Offline Maps remove that entire class of exposure by not contacting external map servers during map viewing.

Threat model: GPS and phone location services

Anonomi does not need GPS to share locations that you receive from other people.

In higher-risk workflows, Anonomi is designed so it can operate without requesting Android Location permissions. This matters because once Location Services are enabled and granted to apps, you expand the number of places where location metadata can be created (OS logs, app caches, history, and more).

(recommended for high-risk use)

If you want “navigate from a received location” while minimizing exposure:

Keep Android Location Services disabled when possible.
Use Offline Maps for viewing the area without online tile requests.
When you need navigation, pass the received coordinates to an offline / standalone navigation tool (or a dedicated device) that can operate without network access.

This workflow helps ensure:

Anonomi does not trigger online map calls
Anonomi does not request GPS permissions
Navigation can be performed without relying on online services

Important: disabling GPS/Location in Anonomi reduces what Anonomi can access, but it cannot guarantee the OS or other apps won’t create location-related metadata. For best results, keep Android Location off and use offline-only navigation tools.

What Offline Maps enable

With Offline Maps, you can:

Share locations without internet access
View and reference maps during internet shutdowns
Navigate in high-risk environments with reduced network traffic
Reduce metadata exposure during normal use

Offline Maps work in:

One-to-one conversations
Location sharing workflows
Fully offline coordination scenarios

Map tiles and data packs

Offline Maps are based on pre-downloaded map tiles, typically distributed as packaged archives.

These map packs are:

Stored locally on your device
Loaded directly by Anonomi
Never fetched dynamically at runtime (once imported)

This design ensures predictable behavior and avoids surprise network access.

Creating map packs (Maps Exporter)

Anonomi provides a companion tool: Maps Exporter (beta).

It runs entirely in your browser and lets you:

Choose a tile source
Select an area and zoom range
Export a ZIP pack in the format Anonomi expects

Open it here:

Maps Exporter

Importing offline map data

Users can import map data manually, for example:

From a ZIP archive
From removable storage
From a trusted offline transfer

Once imported:

Maps appear in the Offline Maps list
No further downloads are required
Anonomi will use them automatically when sharing or viewing locations

Safety and trust considerations

Offline maps shift trust from servers to sources.

Before importing map data:

Use only sources you trust
Prefer map packs with published checksums or signatures
Avoid running unknown map archives on desktop systems with elevated privileges

Treat map data like any other sensitive dependency.

Limitations and expectations

Offline Maps:

Do not provide live traffic or routing updates
Require manual updates when map data becomes outdated
Are only as accurate as the data you import

They trade convenience for predictability and safety.