Google Maps Now Shows Parking Spots, Gets Parking Difficulty Icon in More Cities

You can now count on Google Maps to help you find good parking spots in crowded malls and other places, thanks to the latest effort from Google as it continues to push the reach and use cases of its mapping service.

Android users who rely on Google Maps will now see a new Find parking option when they type a destination, Google said. The mapping service will pull up a list of nearby parking lots and garages. The feature is at present limited to 25 cities in the United States - Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, DC, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa. There is no word on how soon we could expect this feature to be available on iOS, and in general, in India just yet.

Additionally, Google also announced that it is bringing the parking difficulty icon, something it had announced earlier this year on Android and iOS for select cities, in additional 25 cities including Barcelona, London, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Montreal, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Toronto, Valencia, and Vancouver. The company says it uses machine learning among other things to accurately assess the parking difficulty at places. Google chairman had praised the effort by saying "machine learning making parking easier!"

Google continues to push Maps. The company recently partnered with Ola to show 'outstation' cabs on Maps. It also recently added real-time bus information in Kolkata. Google also recently added a 'question & answers' section for places in Google Maps, and Search to make it easier for users to find *out* more about the place they plan to visit.