changes for the parking feature that is currently available for users.
Google Maps can already keep an eye on parking sessions and notify drivers when the time is about to expire, but a mysterious code that landed in a recently released update hinted at bigger plans on this front.
And it appears that the update Google was working on is support for parking payments, which would be available on iOS, Android, and on the web.
In other words, Google Maps now allows you to pay for parking right from within the app, something that comes in extremely handy especially because you no longer have to touch parking meters. And we all know how important this has become these days.
And here’s how the whole thing works.
Google has worked with Passport to add payment integration in Google Maps, and Google Pay is in charge of the transaction. What this means is that the feature would only be available in those regions where Google Pay is also live right now.
However, the parking payment feature is only available in Austin, Texas at this point, but Google says it’s already working on bringing it to other regions as well.
When drivers reach their destination using Google Maps as navigation, the app launches a prompt on their mobile devices to let them pay for parking. They are required to provide the license plate number as well as the parking zone number that’s typically displayed on the indicators on the side of the road or right on the parking meters. Using Google Pay, the payment is then completed, and Google Maps can save your license plate number in your Google account to make the process faster next time.
Certainly, parking payment integration in Google Maps is something that just makes sense, not only because Google itself was spotted making changes in this regard in its app, but also because the search giant already has the necessary tools for such capabilities. Google Pay, for example, is already available on Android devices to pay online or in apps in the majority of countries out there (Google Pay for iOS can be used for making payments only in the U.S. and India for now).
