Uber has announced a new version of its app which is being rolled out to Android and iOS devices in phases starting from today onwards. In general, the new app has been redesigned from ground up for the first time since 2012 as the company feels that the previous design has become harder to use.
Apart from performance upgrade which allows Uber’s new app to load faster, it also put more emphasis on destination given how most Uber users utilizes its service because they want to get to their destination faster. One such feature is the shortcut buttons that dynamically adapt to users’ Uber habits with the help of machine learning.
The new app is also designed to better categorize the type of Uber services that are available for users and allows them to compare their options easier by having the estimated fees for their journeys for each type of Uber services being showed side by side. Additionally, users are also able to see the estimated time of arrival for UberX and UberPOOL in the app.
While it is good to see that Uber is committed to keep its app up to date according to the progress of the company as well as the scale of its operation, we are also intrigued by future integrations that Uber has in the store for the app soon. One of them is calendar integration where users’ meetings or appointments would automatically appear in the app as one of its dynamic shortcut buttons.
Uber has also planned to turn people into destination itself. By allowing users to sync their contacts with the app, they can then request for the location of their contact person and will then be on the way to meet the person via Uber once their request is approved.
Not to forget, Uber also planned to integrate UberEATS into the app so that users able to order food during their journey. Other future integration that Uber has planned also includes public transit information, Yelp reviews, Foursquare tips, Snapchat filters, and Pandora music streaming. However, Uber has yet to reveal the release timeline for these upcoming features.
(Source: Uber)
