Google and Apple Have Smartphone Solutions to Take Some Stress Out of the Busy Holiday Season
The holiday season brings joy, sparkle, and a whole lot of…chaos. Between dashing to the mall for last-minute gifts and navigating crowded roads to visit family, it’s easy to feel like you need an extra set of hands or a smarter way to travel. Google and Apple have your back with a few handy features designed to take some stress out of the season.
Never Lose Your Car Again
Picture this: You’ve braved the packed grocery store to grab eggnog, wrapping paper, and enough snacks to keep everyone happy. You step outside, arms full of shopping bags, only to realize—you can’t remember where you parked. Instead of wandering the lot like a lost elf, open Google Maps, tap your location (the blue dot), and click “Save your parking.” Voilà! A pin is dropped so you can head straight back to your car. If you’re an iPhone user, Siri can do the work for you: just say, “Siri, remember where I parked my car.” Consider it your personal parking elf.
A Waze Away
Holiday travel also means traffic—lots of it. Good news: Google Maps and Apple Maps have integrated some of Waze’s data and functionality. Apple Maps can use Waze as a third party app, and Google Maps now pulls in Waze’s traffic and hazard reports to display within its own interface. Think of it as a community of holiday helpers work ing together to keep you moving.
So whether you’re shopping, road-tripping, or just trying to make it to Grandma’s on time, Google and Apple have the tools to keep your holiday season merry, bright, and just a little less stressful. Contact IT Radix today for more tips to help get you through this busy holiday season.
First published in our December 2025 IT Radix Resource newsletter