Google Now for Android will remember where you parked your car

[Himanshu Arora]

Are you prone to forgetting your parking spot? Well, If you use Google Now, that might not happen again. The company yesterday updated its Android Search app to add a new card that will remember where you parked your car. It'll also show a map that lets you know how far you are from that location.

“When the card shows up in Google Now, you’ll see an indicator showing the approximate location of your car. To see other locations where you’ve recently parked, touch Previous locations. Your location data for parking location cards isn’t shared with anyone else”, Google explains.

The update was first noticed by Android Police.

You don't have to manually check in or set the location, as it'll automatically happen in the background provided you have location services enabled. The company says Google Now uses your device’s sensors to know when you leave a moving vehicle.

However, this also means that you may see parking location cards even if you didn’t park your car. For example, after exiting a bus or a friend’s car.

Additionally, the new Google Search 3.4 also lets you manage nicknames from Settings. While the earlier versions allowed you to set custom nicknames for contacts like "my son" or "my boss", you can now manage or remove those from Settings -> Accounts & Privacy.

Other changes that the update brings include: new reminders interface with better arrangement of past reminders, 'Help' and 'Send feedback' are now combined into a single item 'Help & feedback', offline mode no longer clears all cards, and the ability to open some settings by voice. The update also kills popular Xposed module GEL Settings (XGELS).

The app is currently rolling out, but as it's a staged roll out, it may take a few days to reach everyone. For those who cannot wait any longer, you can download the APK file directly from here.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/56605-google-now-for-android-will-remember-where-you-parked-your-car.html

 

[VitalyT]

Is this a threat?

 

[Trillionsin]

Is this a threat?

If this personal information is available online somehow. Yes.

 

[Trillionsin]

There are plenty of other ways to remember where you parked. Take a picture of any nearby land marks, jot down a note of anything like the row number. Put something on top of your vehicle that could help you see it above the rest of the vehicles. (magnetic antennae with a tennis ball on top) Plenty of other relevant ways.

 

[Runt1me]

There needs to be scrutinised open source alternatives for every single thing google and ms come up with from now on.

 

[RenGood08]

There are plenty of other ways to remember where you parked. Take a picture of any nearby land marks, jot down a note of anything like the row number. Put something on top of your vehicle that could help you see it above the rest of the vehicles. (magnetic antennae with a tennis ball on top) Plenty of other relevant ways.

I agree. I have never really lost my car. (Except when I was pregnant.) I usually have a photographic memory that lets me remember where I've parked visually. I keep a mental note of what entrance I came in, which direction did I walk into the entrance and about how far back I've parked. I feel this advancement is just a way to have people rely more on technology than their own mental power...If you disagree...then that's good for you

 

[9Nails]

I've done the old, "Panic Button" thing a time or two when I knew I was close but couldn't find my car. Just walk to the honking car, and problem solved. But maybe this will be somewhat useful when I drive with those friends who don't pay attention and I'm busy goofing off with my phone to notice where we parked.

Google Location Services require that you give permissions to people who you wish to share your location with. When offering your location, you can either offer an exact location (to the most recent GPS coordinates of your phone) or in a general/city location with out the GPS coordinates. You control who see's what.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

There are plenty of other ways to remember where you parked. Take a picture of any nearby land marks, jot down a note of anything like the row number. Put something on top of your vehicle that could help you see it above the rest of the vehicles. (magnetic antennae with a tennis ball on top) Plenty of other relevant ways.

I agree. I have never really lost my car. (Except when I was pregnant.) I usually have a photographic memory that lets me remember where I've parked visually. I keep a mental note of what entrance I came in, which direction did I walk into the entrance and about how far back I've parked. I feel this advancement is just a way to have people rely more on technology than their own mental power...If you disagree...then that's good for you

I also tend to do that but the other day I got mixed up, I left my phone in the parking bay and put my car in my pocket. I guess old age is catching up with me.

 

[RzmmDX]

I would love to see if this works in a multi-level parking structure.

 

[tipstir]

Just put up a large bright red sign sticky on your vehicle the reads I am HERE!

 

[Guest]

On Windows Phone, Nokia's Here Drive does this already.

 

[Guest]

I might be telling my age but I guess something had to evolve when car radio antennae evolved beyond being a metal stem that old people of the time put tennis balls on the tip of it so they could find their car. lol lol lol

 

[Guest]

Just another way to track our every move from this insidious corporation which is hell bent on taking away our privacy in the name of 'technology.'

If self drive cars are the next thing, why not just tell the car to come and find you? All tracked by satellite of course and logged onto some server hard drive for the NSA to drool over!

 

[RenGood08]

I also tend to do that but the other day I got mixed up, I left my phone in the parking bay and put my car in my pocket. I guess old age is catching up with me.

Ahhh I lost my car once at walmart. I was pregnant and I go overwhelmed. I literally walked between the two doors for like an hour before I remembered where I parked. Had a pregnancy moment lol!!