by Do you often have trouble remembering where you parked your car? Losing track of it can be easy if you’ve parked in a crowd. But don’t worry, with the right smartphone app, you can mark where you parked and quickly locate it again.
Google Maps and Apple Maps allow you to record your car’s location, and many third-party apps can also help you locate it. Let’s look at all your options.
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Google Maps
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You can call on Google Maps(Opens in a new tab) to help you find your car, although some of the steps differ slightly between iOS and Android. After parking your car, open Google Maps on your phone and tap the blue pin that represents your current location (and parking slot), then tap Save parking space entry to add a destination to the map.
Android users can also enter notes with more details about your location and even set a specific number of hours and/or minutes you want to park, which can be useful if you’re parked on a meter. You can also press Share if you want to share your location with someone else or just send it to yourself.
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Now, when it’s time to return to your parked car, you have the location marked on the map. Just tap the pin and select Directions and Principle for step-by-step directions to your car.
Apple Maps
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To be able to use Apple Maps(Opens in a new tab) to find your parking spot, you first need to modify a few settings. I’m going to you Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services on your iPhone and make sure Location Services it is activated.
Scroll to the bottom of the Location Services screen, select System Services and then press Important Locations. You may be prompted for your passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID. Then turn on the switch next to it Important Locations. Then go to Settings > Maps and turn it on Show parking space switch.
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Now, when you’re driving somewhere, you can track your car’s location as soon as you park. Your iPhone will do this automatically if you have it connected via Bluetooth or CarPlay. When you log out of the car, your phone should display a notification indicating that Maps has dropped a pin to show where you parked.
If the notification doesn’t appear, you’re not using CarPlay, or your phone isn’t connected via Bluetooth, open Apple Maps and look for the blue Parked Car pin on the map, then tap it. If you don’t see it, type “parked car” in the search field and the location of the car will appear.
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Press it Edit location button to see an image of your car’s surroundings. You can also create a note with more details and tap it Add photo button to take a photo of your car and location.
When you need to find your car, open Apple Maps and tap it Parked car brooch. Select Instructions, then tap I am going to follow walking directions to your parked car.
Parked car locator
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With the parked car locator(Opens in a new tab), Android users can tap the compass icon to zoom in on your current location. Press it Park here button and press Okay to set up your parking. When it’s time to find your car, just open the app and follow the arrow to find your car.
Find my car
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A simple Android app, Find My Car – GPS Navigation(Opens in a new tab) makes it easy to record your car’s location and then find it later. Open the app and tap on it Park button. You can then add a note to your location and take a photo of it.
When you’re ready to return to your car, open the app again and tap it Find my car button. Just follow the direction of the pointer and the app will guide you to the right spot.
Find my car with AR Tracker
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The free Find My Car with AR Tracker(Opens in a new tab) The iOS app is pretty straightforward. On the main screen, tap Add new car location license plate icon when you park your car. Press it Location tagging button. Name the location and select the location type, then tap it Save location button.
When you need to find your car, open the app and tap it Return to Site button. You will see your car’s location displayed on the map. If you tap the AR icon, you can see your surroundings as you walk.
Find your car with AR
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With Find Your Car with AR(Opens in a new tab)open this iOS app before you leave your car and tap it I parked here button. When it’s time to find your car, launch the app again. A large red arrow points in the direction of your car. just follow this arrow.
You can also switch the display from a conventional map to an augmented reality map that shows your actual surroundings, so you can see what’s nearby while walking to the car.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com(Opens in a new tab), Mashable’s sister site. PCMag.com(Opens in a new tab) is a leading authority in technology, providing independent, lab-based assessments of the latest products and services.
