How to Find Where You Parked on Google Maps (Android & iPhone)

How to find where you parked on Google Maps

To find where you parked, open Google Maps and look for the 'You parked here' pin, or tap the search bar, choose your parking spot, and tap Directions. On Android the spot is listed as 'Parking location', and on iPhone it is listed as 'Saved parking'.

This works only if a spot was saved. On Android, Google's help page only describes saving the spot yourself. On iPhone, you can save it yourself, or Google Maps can save it for you when it detects you've stopped driving, as long as that setting is on.

Button names can change between app versions, so if a label looks a little different on your phone, pick the closest match.

Find and save your spot on Android

Save the spot right after you park so the pin lands where the car is. The pin stays until you clear it, so clear it once you're back in the car.

If you saved your parking earlier, getting back to it takes just a few taps.

• Find it: Open Google Maps, tap the search bar, then tap 'Parking location'. Tap Directions and choose the walking icon for a walking route back to your car.
• Save it: Open Google Maps, tap the blue dot that shows your location, then tap 'Save your parking'.
• Add details: Tap the search bar, then 'Parking location', then 'More info' to add a note or a photo. A note is a good place for the floor level, space number or time left on the meter.
• Share it: In 'Parking location', tap 'More info', then 'Share'.
• Remove it: Tap 'Clear' when you no longer need the pin.

Find and save your spot on iPhone

On iPhone and iPad, Google Maps shows a saved spot as a 'You parked here' pin on the map. If you can't see the pin, tap the search bar, then 'Saved parking', then Directions.

A parking spot on iPhone stays saved for 48 hours unless you remove it or start driving. After 48 hours the pin is removed.

• Save it yourself: Open Google Maps and tap the blue dot that shows your location. Then tap the option to save your parking. Google's help page lists it as 'Saved parking'.
• Share it: Under 'Saved parking', tap Share.
• Remove it: Under 'Saved parking', use the Clear icon.

Turn on automatic parking saving on iPhone

The iPhone version of Google Maps can save your parking by itself when it detects you've stopped driving. This is the easiest way to make sure a pin is waiting for you later.

• Turn it on: In Google Maps, tap your profile picture or initial, then Settings, then Navigation, and make sure 'Automatically save parking' is on.
• **No Bluetooth in your car?** Under 'Automatically save parking', tap 'Let maps use your motion to save your parking'.
• Connect to the car: For automatic saving to work, your phone should play through the car's speakers by Bluetooth, or connect through CarPlay or a USB cable. If you don't connect, turn on the motion option above.
• Optional extras: Allow Motion & Fitness access in iPhone Settings › Privacy & Security › Motion & Fitness, and set location to Always in Settings › Google Maps › Location. Both help it work in the background.

If the pin is in the wrong place

Phones often lose GPS signal inside parking garages, so the pin can land on the wrong street or the wrong level. Save the spot at the garage entrance or at street level, then add the floor and space number as a note or photo on Android.

You can move a pin that landed in the wrong place, or clear it and save it again.

• Android: Tap the search bar, then 'Parking location', then 'Change location'.
• iPhone: Under 'Saved parking', tap 'Change location' and move the pin.

No parking pin? Try these now

If no spot was saved, you still have a few places to look before you start walking the rows.

• Google Maps Timeline: If you turned on Timeline, tap your profile picture or initial, then Your Timeline. Today's last stop may show where you parked, and you can get directions from it.
• Apple Maps (iPhone): Open Apple Maps and search for 'Parked Car'. Apple Maps saves one automatically if your phone was connected to the car by Bluetooth or CarPlay and Show Parked Location was on.
• Your carmaker's app: If your car has connected services, the carmaker's own app may show where the car is.
• Your photos: If you took a photo near the car, the photo's info may show where it was taken.

Next time, or use your car's own location

To avoid this next time, save the spot right after you park, or turn on automatic saving if you use an iPhone. iPhone owners can also turn on Apple Maps' parked car marker under Settings › Apps › Maps › Show Parked Location. Location Services and Significant Locations need to be on for it to work.

Another option is to use the car's own location. Cars with a built-in GPS and cellular modem can report where the car is, no matter where your phone was. The car needs cellular coverage to report in.

The CarConnect iPhone app shows your car's location on a map using the GPS and cellular modem the car was built with, through your carmaker's connected-services account, so there is no tracker or other hardware to install. In the vehicle screen, the 'Find your vehicle' menu can open Google Maps or Apple Maps with directions to the car, which helps from any distance, such as long-term airport parking or after a valet parks it. How fresh the location is depends on when the car last reported in, and this varies by manufacturer. It works with 45+ car makes, but every feature depends on your car's make, model and year and needs an active connected-services account with the carmaker, and the free in-app compatibility check confirms what your car supports.

Common questions

How long does Google Maps keep my parking spot? On iPhone, the spot stays saved for 48 hours unless you remove it or start driving. On Android, it stays until you remove it.

Does Google Maps save my parking automatically on Android? Google's Android help page only describes saving the spot yourself, so tap the blue dot and then 'Save your parking' right after you park.

Can Google Maps find my car if I never saved the spot? Only if it saved the spot for you automatically on iPhone, or if Timeline recorded your stop. With Timeline on, today's last stop may show where you parked. Otherwise, Google Maps has nothing to show you.

Is 'find parking near your destination' the same thing? No. That feature helps you find a place to park and is available in some areas. It is separate from saving where you parked.