Key Takeaways
1. Google Maps now offers an automatic parking location feature that activates when connected to the car via USB, Bluetooth, or CarPlay.
2. The app saves your parking spot automatically when you arrive at your destination and removes the pin when you start driving again.
3. This feature is currently only available for iOS users; Android users still have to use it manually.
4. Users can now customize car icons instead of using the standard pin for their parking location.
5. Similar parking features have existed in other navigation apps like Apple Maps and Waze.
Google Maps has offered the option to remember where you parked your car for some time, but it was not automatic until recently. This new automatic parking location feature was introduced by Google’s Rio Akasaka in a LinkedIn post, where he discussed the latest update.
How It Works
According to Akasaka, this new feature activates when Google Maps is linked to the car through USB, Bluetooth, or CarPlay. When you arrive at your destination, the app saves your parking spot. Then, when you start driving again, the pin that marks your parking location is automatically removed. Here’s what Akasaka shared:
“Don’t worry anymore, because Google Maps will do the remembering for you. No more snapping pictures in parking garages or messing around with app settings or taking screenshots to keep track. Just hop in your car with Google Maps, connect via USB, Bluetooth, or CarPlay, and once you’re done driving, there’s a little pin waiting for you next time you open Google Maps—a personal parking valet, just for you. When you get back on the road, that pin disappears, just like that.”
Availability Issues
For now, this feature is only available for iOS users and started rolling out about a month ago. Unfortunately, Android users will still need to use the feature manually. Recently, it seems that users have the option to select custom car icons instead of the standard pin, which is a nice touch.
Interestingly, similar features have been available on rival navigation apps like Apple Maps and Waze. It’s unclear why Google took so long to add this to their list of features, but it’s certainly better late than never. It’s also puzzling why this function hasn’t been released for Android users, who still have to do it manually.
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