Google Maps Can Remember Where You Parked And How Much Time Is Left On The Meter

Are you the kind of person that would lose their head if it wasn’t attached? Or perhaps you have trouble remembering where you parked, be it in the Target parking lot or in a crowded downtown shopping area? Apple has a feature in iOS 10 that automatically marks your parking spot within Maps when you disconnect your iPhone from your car, and Google is countering with its own version of that feature.

Instead of automatically marking a spot for you like the incredibly unreliable parking feature that is available with Google Now, the latest update to Google Maps allows you to manually set your parking spot directly on the map. With Google Maps open, you will tap the blue dot that represents your current location. After tapping that dot (which will mark your location), a new menu will pop up giving you a number of options.

According to Android Police, you are then able to add more detailed information regarding where you have parked. You can enter notes (i.e. parking deck level, row number, etc.) or even add photos to make it even easier to locate your vehicle. If you’d like to share your location with a friend or family member, that option is available as well. The only other downside (besides the manual activation of the feature) is that it can only be used to set one parking location. An example is given of not being able to both accommodate your personal car in an airport parking deck and a rental car that you may use while on vacation or on business.

On the other hand, the feature that is probably the most interesting is the ability to set a time limit, i.e. to represent the amount of time that you have left on a parking meter. Few things can ruin your otherwise pleasant day more than to return to your vehicle and see a parking ticket stuck under your windshield wiper. You can even configure this option to provide an alert when you’re coming close to your time expiration or when time has expired.

For now, this new functionality is limited to the latest beta version of Google Maps for Android (v9.49).