Did I Park Right Does GPS work in a parking garage?
GPS often doesn’t work well in a parking garage, and a map pin can’t show the level. Satellites need a view of the sky, so a phone indoors falls back on rougher sources. Stand next to your car and tap the button to see what your phone reports here. If it’s poor, write down the level and bay.
Runs in your browser · Nothing sent to us
If the signal is good, keep the pin
Where Did I Park waits for a steady GPS signal before it saves, shows how accurate the pin is, and warns you when the signal is weak. Add “Level 3 B18” as a note. Free on iPhone. About the app
What the number means
Your phone gives every position a margin of error: “I’m somewhere within this many meters.” We take the best figure over 15 seconds. Our bands are a rule of thumb, not a standard. Within about 33 feet (10 m) a pin should bring you to the right part of a lot. Between 33 and 100 feet it gets you to the right area. Past 100 feet (30 m), treat the pin as a guess.
Treat the figure as an estimate. A browser doesn’t say whether the fix came from satellites, Wi-Fi or cell towers, and in a garage a confident number can still be wrong. If you’re below ground, trust the sign on the pillar over the screen.
What your number means
- Within 33 ftA pin should bring you to the right part of a lot.
- 33 to 100 ftIt gets you to the right area.
- Past 100 ftTreat the pin as a guess.
Our bands, a rule of thumb. Rings drawn to scale.
Why no pin can give you the level
A map is flat. Even a perfect fix puts your car at the right latitude and longitude, and level 1 and level 6 share those. That’s why “GPS” was never the whole answer in a garage. Bring back something a phone can’t lose: the level, the row or bay, and which elevator you used. It takes ten seconds and works with no signal at all.
How to remember your level
- Say the level out loud at the pillar, then write it down before you walk away.
- Note the row or bay and the color or letter of the zone. Many garages repeat the same number on each level.
- Note the elevator or stairs you used, and which shop or terminal they lead to.
- Take a photo of the pillar sign with the car in it, if you can.
Write it into Park Note and keep it as a link on your phone.
Your car is at
Level 3 · B18
Elevator B, near the Main St exit
What a good note looks like.
What to do next
Quick answers
Does GPS work in an underground parking garage?
Usually not well. GPS needs a view of the sky, and a phone underground falls back on Wi-Fi and cell signals, which are much rougher. Test your spot, and write down the level either way.
Can my iPhone tell which floor I parked on?
Not from a map pin. A pin stores a place on a flat map, so it doesn’t separate one level from another. Write the level down, or add a photo of the pillar sign.
Is this test accurate?
It shows the margin of error your phone reports to the browser. It’s an estimate, and we don’t know which signal it came from. Use it as a guide, not a measurement.
Sources: W3C — Geolocation (accuracy is reported in meters) · Apple — Get directions to your parked car · Google Maps Help — Find & save parking locations
Reviewed : our accuracy bands and how phones report location · how we check · report an error