Turning a phone into an emergency or TEOTWAWKI device
A rugged phone with a microSD card can hold offline maps, the full Wikipedia via Kiwix (around 40 GB) and first aid manuals. Here's what to load onto it.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
A rugged phone with a multi-day battery and a large microSD card works as a digital emergency kit: offline maps, the full Wikipedia via Kiwix (around 40 GB) and first aid manuals are the foundation. The key is to download everything in advance and test it without signal.
The idea of turning an old or rugged phone into a digital emergency kit has more potential than it might seem. A device like the ones used by maintenance staff in a factory, with a battery that lasts for days and resistance to water and knocks, is a reasonable candidate to keep in the car. Preparation means downloading content and apps that work offline, and checking that everything opens when there is no network.
## Offline maps: the foundation of everything
Maps come first. **Google Maps** lets you download specific areas for use without data, and the **IGN** app (Spain's national mapping agency) offers downloadable official cartography of Spain. It's worth downloading your usual area and the routes you travel, because a downloaded map doesn't update itself and expires.
The phone's compass and GPS work without coverage, although positioning may take longer. A flashlight and an FM radio, if the phone has one, round out the basics.
## Wikipedia and manuals: Kiwix and first aid
**Kiwix** is the standard tool for carrying Wikipedia without internet. The full Spanish version comes to around **40 GB**, a figure that fits on a 128 GB or larger microSD card. There are also smaller topic-specific versions if space is tight.
For medicine, first aid manuals and a basic pharmacopoeia in PDF. They don't replace a healthcare professional: in a real emergency, the priority is to call **112** if there is coverage.
## Botany, games and other extras
Plant and mushroom identification apps, survival manuals and an offline game or two to keep sarracena up. Be careful with mushrooms: no app identifies them reliably enough to eat what it points to.
A practical detail: store the files on the microSD card, not the internal memory, and test opening them in airplane mode. If the phone runs out of battery, all that content is worthless; a car charger and a power bank are just as important as the apps.
The idea of turning an old or rugged phone into a digital emergency kit has more potential than it might seem. A device like the ones used by maintenance staff in a factory, with a battery that lasts for days and resistance to water and knocks, is a reasonable candidate to keep in the car. Preparation means downloading content and apps that work offline, and checking that everything opens when there is no network.
## Offline maps: the foundation of everything
Maps come first. **Google Maps** lets you download specific areas for use without data, and the **IGN** app (Spain's national mapping agency) offers downloadable official cartography of Spain. It's worth downloading your usual area and the routes you travel, because a downloaded map doesn't update itself and expires.
The phone's compass and GPS work without coverage, although positioning may take longer. A flashlight and an FM radio, if the phone has one, round out the basics.
## Wikipedia and manuals: Kiwix and first aid
**Kiwix** is the standard tool for carrying Wikipedia without internet. The full Spanish version comes to around **40 GB**, a figure that fits on a 128 GB or larger microSD card. There are also smaller topic-specific versions if space is tight.
For medicine, first aid manuals and a basic pharmacopoeia in PDF. They don't replace a healthcare professional: in a real emergency, the priority is to call **112** if there is coverage.
## Botany, games and other extras
Plant and mushroom identification apps, survival manuals and an offline game or two to keep sarracena up. Be careful with mushrooms: no app identifies them reliably enough to eat what it points to.
A practical detail: store the files on the microSD card, not the internal memory, and test opening them in airplane mode. If the phone runs out of battery, all that content is worthless; a car charger and a power bank are just as important as the apps.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (6 replies).
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