Apple Maps may add parking time to arrival estimates

Apple may be preparing to include parking time in the arrival estimates shown in Apple Maps. According to findings shared by the code researcher pdfu, the iOS 27.3 beta contains a flag called TimeToPark. It appears to let the system measure the time a driver spends near a destination before parking, plus the walk on foot to the destination.

Background location and motion sensing would feed the data, with each trip saved and sorted by weekday and hour. However, the researcher notes that the option is limited to internal builds, and no Maps feature relies on the data yet.

The timing gap is real for many drivers in dense cities, where finding a space can take longer than the drive itself. Today Apple Maps estimates only the driving time to the destination, so the full trip can take longer than shown.

Both 9to5Mac and MacRumors report the same finding, based on code in the beta. The sources do not include an official statement from Apple, and they do not give a release date. Still unknown: whether the feature will reach public users, how accurate the timing would be, and how it would handle privacy.

The change would be most useful to drivers who arrive at busy city centres, stadiums or airports, where finding a space can add minutes. For now, the report describes an early code finding, not a launch, so nothing will appear on users' phones yet.