The ParkDetroit app has been completely overhauled, but it won't update automatically on your phone

The city of Detroit is launching a new and improved version of its ParkDetroit smartphone parking app on Thursday.

The existing app won't automatically update, however, so you'll have to manually delete and redownload it.

The new version amounts to a complete overhaul, which a press release describes as "one of the premier and technologically advanced municipal parking apps anywhere in the country."

"It's important for us to match our world class city with a world class parking app," said Keith Hutchings, director of the city's municipal parking department, in a statement. "The improvements to our ParkDetroit app will make it a one-of-a-kind system unlike anything else in the country. We must continue to push the envelope to ensure today's sophisticated consumers have the means to make their lives easier, and we believe the revised ParkDetroit app does that."

That's welcome news, because parking can be more of a pain in the ass than it should be in a place called the Motor City.

According to the release, the new app has a slew of new features, including the ability to check parking availability ahead of time at garages, lots, and metered spaces with a map. You can also compare pricing at private garages, and pre-pay for parking at garages and some lots by using a QR code that the app generates once you pay, which can then be scanned for entry.

You can even search for parking by the name of the event you're attending. And afterward, the app will also help you find your parked car, because who among us hasn't gotten lost downtown, especially in the coldest months of the year.

The app has other features beyond parking, including a calendar of events happening in the city. Other features that will roll out later in 2022 include multi-modal transportation options and a merchant discount program, among others.

More information is available at parkdetroit.us, and people without a smartphone can also prepay for parking and use other features there.

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