Have you ever lost your car in a car park? Here's how you can save your parking location (Image: Getty)
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Have you ever parked your car in a car park only to forget where you left it? Whether you’ve been shopping or had to attend an appointment, a car park is ironically the place many of us lose our cars.
The situation is made more difficult when the car you parked next to has moved or been replaced by a completely different vehicle, making the process of elimination tricky.
If you’re bored of wasting your time in a car park trying to locate it, this simple hack might just help you out.
Never lose your car again with this simple Google Maps hack
A motoring expert has revealed a little-known Google Maps hack that means you'll never ‘lose’ your car again.
Graham Conway, managing director of Select Car Leasing, explained: “Google Maps is one of the most widely-used apps when it comes to navigation - whether by road, public transport or on foot.
“Millions of Brits have handy holders on their dashboards to allow a smartphone to guide them to their destination with minimum fuss.
“But what most people don't realise is that by taking an extra two seconds when you do find a space, you won't ever risk 'losing’ your car again.
“That's because the software has a feature where you simply tap the blue dot that shows your location, then select 'Save parking'.
“This drops a pin at the exact spot you've pulled into and allows you to navigate to it on foot when it's time to depart.”
How to save your parking location on iPhone and android phones
Google Maps has shared how you can make sure your car parking space is saved on your iPhone or Android device.
On an iPhone, your location settings need to be set ‘always’ for the feature to work. This will mean Google Maps will automatically save your car’s location.
Google shared three more steps: “After you’re done navigating somewhere, at the bottom, turn on ‘know where you parked’.
“Allow Google Maps to access your motion and fitness activity.
“When you stop moving, you’ll see your parking location labelled ‘you parked near here’.”
You’ll get more accurate results if your phone is paired with your car either by Bluetooth or USB.
Once you arrive and have parked up, you can tell Google Maps to save your parking location by going to the app, clicking the blue dot showing your location and selecting ‘set as parking location’.
The UK's road maintenance system
Once your car’s location is saved, to find your car, you’ll need to click on ‘saved parking’ then ‘show on map’.
If you use an Android phone, you can save your parking location by going to the Google Maps app, clicking the blue dot showing your location and selecting ‘save your parking’. It will be saved there until deleted by you.
To find where you parked, go to the Google Maps app, tap the search bar and type parking location.
Then at the bottom, click directions to find your parked car.
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Mr Conway added: “Some canny people take a photo to remind themselves which floor of a multi-storey their vehicle is stationed on. But for those in a rush it's often overlooked - leading to inconvenience further down the line.
“If you're trying to locate your car on your return from a trip abroad, with tired and irritable kids in tow after a long flight, having your parking space location saved in Google Maps could be a real life-saver.
“You can even add notes or set a timer to remind you when the time period you've paid for is due to run out.”
He added that the parking location feature is also available on Apple Maps while the Google software can select routes that use less fuel and allow drivers to download maps in advance if they are heading to areas with poor mobile reception.
