Apple Maps is making it somewhat easier to track down parking options at your final destination. The company is teaming up with SpotHero, a popular third-party parking platform, to give you a rundown of parking availability at landmarks across the United States and Canada… via a basic web view.
To access the new SpotHero integration, you’ll need to find a relatively notable landmark location where there are parking garages and lots nearby. Then, tap the “More” ellipsis and look for the “Parking” button. Then, a web view will open, showing you nearby parking options.
You can book and prepay for your parking spot in this SpotHero web view. You can also filter available options to find parking options that offer valet, in and out privileges, covered parking, and more. Most all of the parking options presented in SpotHero are paid, so don’t expect to use this to find free parking.
SpotHero’s extensive dataset of parking facility details, photos and reviews is now available in the Apple Maps app on iPhone and Mac, allowing users to discover the best parking options in more than 8,000 locations across North America. This feature makes it easy for users to tailor parking options to their needs by filtering their searches with variables such as covered parking spaces, EV charging or wheelchair accessible spaces, among other options.
The feature is available now in the United States and Canad at 8,000 locations. Apple Maps has offered parking information in the past through other third-party services, but this SpotHero integration is the latest implementation we’ve seen.
9to5Mac’s Take
The integration here leaves quite a bit to be desired. When you tap on the “Parking” button, you’re immediately redirected to a basic web view of the SpotHero website. In many instances, it would probably be easier just to go to the SpotHero website in Safari or use the SpotHero app itself.
Ideally, Apple could team up with a company like SpotHero or ParkMobile to offer parking information that is directly integrated into the Maps app itself. For instance, you could find parking options, prepay for a spot using Apple Pay, then get precise navigation to your exact location.
Regardless, this is a step in the right direction… even if it’s just a glorified web view hidden behind an ellipsis.
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