In most bigger towns in Austria you have SMS Mobile Phone Parking. (https://www.handyparken.at/)
Its necessary to register upfront so its only for day-to-day users, but this is how it works:
0.) register your phone number, optionally associate it with a license plate number you usually by tickets for
1.) park
2.) send SMS with number of minutes you want to park to a number
3.) wait to receive receipt by SMS
The people checking for valid tickets (in an awful case of denglish called "Park Sheriffs") have a small mobile device where they can check for a certain license plate if there is a mobile ticket available on the central servers.
I guess its as expensive to give all the "Park Sheriffs" such a mobile device as putting a machine at every other street corner.
And it works great. There are options for having a time delayed ticked or to by tickets for a different license plate of course.
You can still by paper tickets at newspaperstands and the like if you are not registered or prefer the old way or have no mobile phone or...
