We’ve all been through that annoying moment at one time or another, especially in the city: you park your car on a random street or in a garage and then drive off. A little later, while looking for your car, you find yourself driving in circles… with no memory of where you left your vehicle. Yet there is a most useful hidden feature on the Google Maps application.
A handy tip for Maps users
Although it’s nothing new, your smartphone can help you find your parking spot – or any other place, for that matter. All you need is Google’s map app, which you probably already use for navigation.
Open Google Maps on your iOS or Android device, and we explain the process to find your car!
Set how parking location
It’s actually quite simple in Google Maps on iOS, although as often the related options are somewhat limited compared to Android. Let’s go:
- Touch the blue dot on the map, which represents your current location.
- Select “Set as Parking Location” from the menu that appears.
- If you want to send a link to someone else, tap the “Share” button in the “Saved Parking” bar at the bottom of the Maps interface. (If you don’t see the bar, tap once anywhere on the screen to make it appear.)
When you are ready to find your vehicle:
- Tap ‘Route’ in the ‘Saved Parking’ bar to have Maps show you a turn-by-turn route back to your location, or tap the ‘Start’ button in the same area to begin guided navigation.
- Tap “Delete” to delete the saved location, or tap “Share” to send someone a link to the location.
Enable notifications when you have saved a parking spot.
- Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner of the app.
- Tap the gear-shaped settings icon and scroll down until you see Notifications.
- Select this option, then make sure “Saved parking locations” is enabled.
2. on Android app
The process is similar to iOS but with a few handy extra features sprinkled in as you go.
Register your car park
- Touch the blue dot on the map, which represents your current location.
- Select “Save your parking” on the screen that appears,
- If you want to send a link to another person, tap the “Share” command in the “Parking Location” bar at the bottom of the Maps interface.
Personalization options
- Tap or swipe up on the “Parking Location” bar at the bottom of the Maps interface.
- Tap the “Add Notes” line to store information.
- Tap the box under “Add Photos” to create a quick image that will help you find your vehicle later.
- Tap “Remaining time” to set a specific time when your parking will expire. A countdown timer will appear as a notification (so you can just tap it to find your car).
When you are ready to find your vehicle:
- Find “Parking Location” at the bottom of the Maps interface or swipe down from the top of the screen and find “Parking Location”
- Tap ‘Directions’, then swipe up on the bar at the bottom of the screen to view step-by-step directions, or tap the ‘Start’ button to start guided navigation.
- Press the “Delete” button to delete the saved location
Note that, in the case of Android, you will automatically receive a notification. You can swipe it like any other Android notification to dismiss it. If you prefer not to receive them, you can disable them completely:
- Go to Google Maps settings (from the top left three-line menu icon).
- Click on “Notifications” then on “People and places”
- Look for the “Saved Parking” entry and disable it.
Be aware that Maps allows you to save only one parking location at a time. Therefore, if you try to save a second location when another one is already saved, this new location will overwrite your original location. Good road !