Life
How To Save Your Parking Spot In Google Maps
Sick of wandering around in circles trying to remember which street you parked on? Thanks to your smartphone's Google Maps app, the days of looking for familiar trees and buildings are over. What's more, learning how to save your parking spot in Google Maps is so easy, there is no excuse not try this awesome feature next time you hop behind the wheel. The new feature, which rolled out on Tuesday, April 25 for both Android and iOS devices, uses a "combination of GPS, cell towers and known WiFi locations" to determine your parking location, CNN explains. All you have to do is drop a pin, and Maps will automatically log your car's location, taking all the anxiety out of keeping track of where you parked.
Google already has an automatic parking detection tool for Android devices, and Apple has a similar product for iOS users on Apple Maps. But thanks to Google Maps you no longer need a bluetooth hookup to save your location — the new feature allows you to set the location manually for improved accuracy and flexibility. For anyone who has ever feared they lost their car for good, this tool will definitely be a life-saver.
So how do you use the parking spot finder on Google Maps? Follow these quick and easy steps, and you'll never have to waste time searching for your spot again:
1Update Your Google Maps App
The update was released on April 25, so if you haven't updated your Google Maps app, that will be your first order of business. Head over to the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store and update to the most recent version. Now that you have updated, you can feel free to hop in your car and drive around to your heart's content.
2Tap The Blue Dot And Set Your Location
Once you have parked, open your Google Maps app and make sure the blue dot indicating your exact location is hovering over the correct place on the map. Once you are ready to go, tap the blue dot to bring up a menu of options. Between "Share your location" and "Download offline area," you will see the new feature labelled "Set as parking location" for iOS or "Save your parking" for Android. Tap the parking option and Google will save your place on the map. A blue circle with the letter "P" will appear on the map with a very clear tag reading: "You parked here."
3Add Details And Notes
If that's still not enough to jog your memory, Google will let you enter any further details about your location, such as street cleaning rules or meter time. To start, either tap the blue parking dot or swipe up on the "Saved Parking" option at the bottom of your screen. Details about your parking job will appear, including how long ago you saved the spot, the exact address, and how long it takes to return to your car.
4Tap On The Pin To Find Your Way Back
When it's time to find your car once again tap the icon of the walking person on the right hand side of the "saved parking" bar at the bottom of your screen. Google Maps will bring up the directions from your current location to your parking spot, so you can easily navigate back to your car.
5Save The Entire Map For Long-Term Parking
If you plan on leaving your car in the spot for longer than overnight, you will need to do one extra step to remember your parking location. Maps will only save your parking spot for 24 hours, so in order to save the map, bring up your "Saved Parking" details and tap the "download" option. The app will save a map of the area with your pin to your phone, so you can access it whenever you want, on or offline.
Now go forth and park, young drivers! Just remember to set a pin when you do.
