Google Maps gains new parking features, difficulty icons in 25 cities outside the U.S.

Google has just updated its Maps service with a bevy of new features meant to improve the parking capabilities of the mobile apps (Android and iOS). Starting with this update, Google Maps users in 25 cities outside of the United States will be able to use parking difficulty icons on both Android and iOS devices.

Here is the list of cities where the new feature has been enabled: Alicante, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Cologne, Darmstadt, Dusseldorf, London, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Milan, Montreal, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Toronto, Valencia, and Vancouver.

These difficulty icons will allow users to see how hard it might be to park in certain places. They will now appear on the directions card at the bottom of the screen whenever you ask for directions to a destination.

Another important new feature included in the update is the ability to find parking near a destination on Google Maps for Android. Starting today, users in 25 US cities will be able to take advantage of the “find parking” option on the directions card to see a list of parking garages and lots near their destination.

Here are the first 25 cities in the United States where the “find parking” feature should be available right away: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, DC, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, and Tampa.