(Credit: Google)
Ever blanked on where you parked your car? A new feature coming to Google Maps can help you track down your vehicle, even if you're in a difficult-to-navigate parking lot.
Google Maps will automatically detect where you last left your car and save its location for the next 48 hours. It will then delete your location once you move your vehicle.
The feature's release spotted by 9to5Google on select iPhones, and confirmed on LinkedIn by Google’s senior product manager for Maps, Rio Akasaka.
“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," Akasaka says. "A personal parking Maps valet, just for you. When you drive again, the pin goes away, just like that."
So far, there’s no sign of the feature coming to Android or Android Auto, which is slightly puzzling as it's another of the brand's own technologies.
You've been able to manually track your car's location in the Maps app for a while, and it's been automatic on iOS for some time, too. But it was off by default on iOS, so this is the first time Google Maps will automatically note where you are when you've stopped. Major Maps rivals like Apple Maps and Waze have similar features.
If you’ve got a custom icon set up for your vehicle within Google Maps, it will also appear on the map. If not, you’ll see a white letter P in a blue circle with wording that says “You parked here.”