We’ve been told over and over again how Gemini is an “upgrade” over Google Assistant. In many ways, it is—but the areas where it still lags behind feel infuriating. Google says Gemini can help you remember where you parked, but the reality feels embarrassing.
Before I dive in, it’s important for you to know Google’s official claim for Gemini’s ability. From last year’s announcement of Gemini on Wear OS, dated July 9, 2025:
For instance, you can:
- Send personalized messages, like a heartfelt apology for being late.
- Generate custom playlists for your workouts.
- Find addresses and get navigation instructions directly from your emails.
- Ask Gemini to help remember where you parked or which locker you used at the gym.
A 12-year-old feature that doesn’t work anymore
It predated Google Assistant
When this situation first made me extremely frustrated, I remembered how I used to save my parking location with Google Assistant. All I had to do was say, “I parked here” or “remember where I parked.” It was pretty cool, but in researching this article, I was reminded that the feature actually pre-dates Assistant.
Back in April 2014, the Google app was updated with an automatic parking detection feature. When your phone detected that you had been driving and parked somewhere, a “Parking location” card would appear in the Google Now feed. You didn’t have to do anything. Honestly, it was a loftier idea than any of its successors.
Fast forward to 2019, and Google Assistant was given a similar feature—automatic parking detection. However, this time there wasn’t a visual feed of cards, so you had to ask Assistant for the information. Of course, it was also possible to manually trigger it with the aforementioned commands.
Needless to say, we’re not talking about bleeding-edge, ground-breaking technology here. Google has been able to save your parking location in some capacity for over a decade. Now, the “world’s most capable AI assistant” can’t seem to figure it out.
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Don’t let Gemini save your parking spot
You may never find it
The original premise of this article was about using a Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch to easily save your parking location without pulling out your phone. Since it can’t be done from the Google Maps Wear OS app—like on a phone—I assumed Gemini was the answer.
I started with the simple command that had worked all those years ago with Google Assistant: “Remember where I parked.” Gemini said, “Please tell me where you parked, as I don’t have access to your location data.” Other times it would say, “I don’t know. You haven’t told me where you parked yet!” I found this very curious, considering Gemini has permission to access my precise location.
Well, maybe it’s just a smartwatch limitation, I thought. I tried the same thing with Gemini on my Android phone. In fact, I tried a lot of different variations of that command. I tried invoking the Google Maps Connected App. I tried asking it to save the location to my “Parked” list in Google Maps. Time and again, Gemini responded positively:
- “Parking location saved.”
- “Got it. I’ve noted that you parked here in [city name]. I’ll remember this for you.”
- “I’ve got it noted down. Whenever you’re ready to head back, just ask me where you parked, and I’ll point you in the right direction!”
- “Got it! I’ve saved this location as your parking spot.”
- “I’ve pinned your current parking spot near [address].”
Then came the all-important follow-up question: “Where did I park?”
- “You parked right here in [city name].” Is telling me I parked in a city supposed to be helpful?
- “I don’t have access to your personal location data or camera feeds. Check your map app or look for any photos you may have taken of your spot.”
There’s that “I don’t have access to your location” excuse again. I find this particularly frustrating because it absolutely can access my location. When I type, “@Maps how far is Detroit,” it brings up a Google Maps widget and shows the route from my precise location. That never happens when I ask it to save my location.
A step backward
If you haven’t guessed by now, this is bigger than remembering where I parked. I can do that with Google Maps if I really need to. The point is, Gemini is failing at something that was easy a long time ago. I’m pleading with a highly advanced AI to do a task that my phone could do on Android 4.4 KitKat.
This has been the situation since Gemini arrived on Android phones last year. I’ve been genuinely impressed with Gemini on more than a few occasions, but every time it struggles with a basic Google Assistant ability, I crash back to reality.
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Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
