Google Maps will not index all the available parking spots near your destination, or at least not yet. Such a feature would be a valuable addition to the popular mapping service, and we might see it roll out in the more distant future when parking availability for a location is updated in real-time. That said, Google Maps will make it easier for you to find a parking spot in an area you don’t know, by offering information about parking difficulty.
DON’T MISS: Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus might be even more impressive than we thought
The feature can be very helpful if you’re driving to places you’ve never visited before. Google will tell you that parking in the area is easy, medium, or hard. As Android Police explains, it’s not clear where the data comes from, but it might be enough to prepare you for the worse. It’s likely the feature only offers a measure of how much parking spots are available in a particular area, but that’s still great insight for drivers who hate hunting for parking.
In addition to these parking tips, Google Maps v9.34 for Android will also include a couple of other handy features meant to improve overall usability. One of them is called “Keep map north up,” and it’s pretty straightforward. When enabled, the feature will keep North up, so that you always know what’s what.
Better yet, the north-up mode comes with an accidental swipe protection mode that will reposition the map on the screen as it was before you accidentally touched it. The feature is something drivers will appreciate, especially if they keep touching the screen. Here’s an animation that explains how it works:
