Newsletter
Google has removed the Save Your Parking feature from the beta channel of Google Maps after only ten days of testing. The functionality initially debuted with the beta version 9.49 earlier this month and has disappeared from the app in the same way it originally appeared – without any particular announcements. Following its debut, the beta version of Google Maps received upgrades to 9.49.1 and 9.49.2, though it’s unclear which package removed the Save Your Parking feature. Alternatively, the Alphabet-owned tech giant might have also eliminated the option of manually saving one’s parking location via a server-side update. Regardless, the feature is definitely gone now and has been replaced with a Share Your Location functionality that recently started rolling out to more users following its removal from Google+.
For a short period, beta users of Google Maps were able to manually save the location of their parking spot by tapping the blue dot icon in the app and selecting the “Save your parking” option in the following overlay window. In addition to the exact coordinates denoting the place where you parked, the feature also allowed you to set a countdown timer on metered parking lots and even provided you with the ability to add notes and images to the location within the app. Overall, the functionality was much more accurate, robust, and useful than the regular method utilized by Google Maps for saving parking information. Google’s app usually only estimates your parking location by trying to determine the approximate place where you had stopped driving, which is a much more limited alternative to the option that was just removed from the app. Finally, the now-discontinued feature also supported permanent notifications, meaning you were able to easily access your parking location until the moment you got back into your car.
Seeing how the Mountain View-based Internet company never made any particular announcements regarding Save Your Parking, it’s possible that the feature is still in development and hasn’t be scrapped in its entirety. In that case, more information on the matter will hopefully follow soon as Google may opt to reintroduce the functionality to Google Maps at some point in the future. On the bright side, the Parking Information tab that recently debuted in the app is still going strong.
