Skip to main content

BMW’s new Parkmobile integration lets you find parking before you arrive

BMW 4 Series Parkmobile
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Driving in a big city already requires all the patience you have, so naturally, you don’t have the energy to deal with finding a parking space. Thankfully, now you don’t have to, as Parkmobile has partnered with BMW to create an integrated solution that lets drivers find, pay for, renew, and yes, even reserve parking spaces. Previously available only as an app, Parkmobile is now featured in all new BMW vehicle lines, leveraging these cars’ navigation and GPS systems to find parking.

Heralded as “the industry’s first automated on-street and off-street reservations parking” system, Parkmobile-enabled BMW cars will prompt drivers to find space through their dashboard screens. This seamless process will not require either opening up the app on a smartphone (because none of us use our phones while we drive, right?) or paying a physical meter. Rather, all can be handled directly from their in-car screens.

The new system will work very similarly to the existing app, as vehicles will prepopulate parking options based on GPS coordinates, which allows for one-touch parking. Moreover, drivers can preselect the amount of time they’d like to purchase, and manage and extend their parking sessions using the Parkmobile app.

“We are extremely proud to partner with BMW to deliver this tremendous innovation in the automotive and parking industries alike,” said Jon Ziglar, Parkmobile’s CEO. “By embedding real-time parking payment and advanced reservations capabilities into the automobile itself, we complete the circle of delivering a truly seamless parking experience for drivers in any parking scenario, whether it be on-street, off-street, real-time, or in advance. Furthermore, this is a significant step in paving the way for autonomous vehicles of the future to control and manage the end of their journey unassisted.”

So if you’re tired of adding time to your already long trip just for the sake of parking, a new BMW may be the solution.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Finding recipes on TikTok and YouTube is my new favorite way to cook
Someone taking a picture of a llama cookie.

As an avid baker, I've always hated searching for a recipe on Google and subsequently wading through the extensive backstory of the baker to find it. It's like a buried treasure hunt — only it's painfully slow. One thing I do love, however, is how succinct video recipes are from TikTok and YouTube.

I never have to wonder what the food looks like on these apps; I see and hear almost every step in a way I know I can replicate. And I learn a lot more from them than written recipes teach me. So that got me thinking: What is the best way to bake with video recipes? Will using a quick one-minute video from TikTok be enough, or will a more in-depth 10-minute recipe from YouTube be better?

Read more
New drone owner? Check out this video before you fly
dji mavic 2 pro zoom drone deals best buy summer sale 2020 2018 768x479 c

With drones once again expected to be a hot-ticket item over the holiday season, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched a safety campaign urging new pilots to follow the rules and take care.

The effort includes a video (below) highlighting the basics and a “12 days of drones” social media campaign with posts featuring various drone-related safety rules.

Read more
Google Lens is getting Chrome integration to help you find out-of-stock products
Google Lens shopping integration.

Google announced at its Search On event on Wednesday that it's bringing the smartphone functionality of its Google Lens to the desktop version of Chrome. Lens is an app that helps identify objects, and it's installed by default in many Android phones.

At some point in "the coming months," Chrome will receive an update to incorporate Lens-style searching into Chrome. Instead of the old highlight, then right-click, then "search Google for" three-step process, you can search a webpage directly with Lens.

Read more