'Here's where I parked.' Your phone can already help find your car

"Hey Siri, where did I park?" There are multiple ways your smartphone can already help you remember your parking space. You don't even need to install an app. — Christin Klose/dpa

With a smartphone in their pocket, drivers can safely forget where they've parked their car. That's because apps and digital assistants will remember for you.

You can easily mark the parking space using the Google Maps app (Android and iPhone), for example. The blue dot shows the current position; for safety's sake you can tap on the GPS symbol again when getting out of the car.

Tap the blue dot and select the option "Save your parking". Next to the marker on the map it you'll see the label “You parked near here”. If you get lost, simply enter "Parking location" in the Google Maps search bar and the app will navigate to the parked car.

Other map and navigation apps offer similar features, for example Apple Maps, Maps.me and Sygic. When you save the location, you assign it a name, preferably with a date.

What about when there's weak signal in an underground car park?

In general, locating a parking space outdoors is usually possible without any problems. If you're in an underground car park and have weak GPS signal, you can record the location at the entrance and also record the level and parking space number with a photo. Some apps also use WiFi or mobile data to determine your position.

You can also find your parking space with the help of a voice assistant. Apple's Siri navigates to your car if the parking space was previously saved with iPhone and CarPlay.

Three settings are required on an iPhone: “Location Services” must be activated under Settings / Privacy, the “Significant Locations” option under Settings / Privacy / Location Services / System Services and the “Show parked location” option under Settings / Maps.

The parking space is saved when there is a correct connection to CarPlay or to the car's Bluetooth system. If you want to go back to the car later, just ask Siri: "Where did I park?"

Location services must also be activated on Android. Press and hold the home screen button on your smartphone or say “Ok Google” when getting out of the car. Then say "I parked here." To find your way back to the car, just ask Google Assistant: "Where have I parked?"

There are also special apps for saving car parking spaces, for example Find My Car or ParKing. – dpa