Google has launched a new feature for iPhone users that could make owners of Android handsets a little envious. Anyone who has parked their car in an unfamiliar town or in a particularly gigantic parking lot will have experienced the panic of not being able to locate their vehicle – Google Maps is now on hand to help.
iPhone owners using Google Maps – yes, this breed of person does exist – can now have their parking location saved automatically. This is an upgrade of what is available to Android users at the moment.
Owners of Android handsets can manually save their parking location, but this is not a step you need to worry about any longer if you have an iPhone. Everything is now taken care of for you automatically.
Writing on LinkedIn – not a common platform for making such announcements –Senior Product Manager for Google Maps, Rio Akasaka, said:
If you’re like me, you forget where you park all the time.
Worry no more, because Google Maps will remember for you. No more taking photos in parking lots or fiddling with app settings or taking screenshots to remember. Get in a car with Google Maps and connect to your car with USB, Bluetooth or CarPlay, and once you’re done driving, there’s a little pin waiting for you when you open Google Maps next– a personal parking Maps valet, just for you. When you drive again, the pin goes away, just like that.
Here’s to technology, however small, that just works. Available now on iOS.
Over on the support pages for Google Maps, the company provides a little more in the way of detail as it gives instructions:
Save where you parked automatically
To help you find where you left your car, Maps automatically saves your parking location. It stays saved for 48 hours unless you remove it or start driving.
Step 1: Connect your device to your car
To get the most accurate location info, you can also connect your device to your car using Bluetooth, CarPlay, or USB. After you disconnect your device, Maps uses your location to save your parking spot.
Use Bluetooth
- On your iPhone or iPad, turn on Bluetooth.
- Pair your iPhone or iPad to your car.
- Set your car’s audio source to Bluetooth.
Use CarPlay or USB
Plug your device into your car.
- CarPlay should open on your car’s display.
Step 2 (optional): Turn on Motion & Fitness
Maps automatically remembers where you park using your phone’s sensor that detect if you’re driving or parking.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Maps app .
- Tap your profile picture or initial
Settings
Navigation.
- Under “Automatically save parking,” next to “Don’t use Bluetooth?,” tap Let maps use your motion to save your parking.
- Make sure “Automatically save parking” is on.
- When Maps detect that you’ve stopped driving, your parking location shows on the map with the pin labeled “You parked here.” You can also find it in the search bar.
Step 3 (optional): Manage your location services
To help Maps detect where you park, you can set “Location Services” to “Always.” This works even if the app runs in the background or your screen is off.
At the moment there is no word about when, or if, Google will bring this same option to Android. Until that happens, owners of Android handsets will have to stick with manually saving their locations.
