Uber introduces in-app messaging

While Uber has been around for a while and has made transportation a whole lot easier, you would agree with me that there is still room for improvement; well, it seems Uber also agrees. Have you ever been in a situation where you order an Uber and some strange number calls or texts you asking you for your location? Uber decided to fix this by introducing in-app messaging.

Uber in-app messaging demo
Photo credits:  https://digitaltrends.com

Before then, I believe there is a need for a little back-story. Uber makes use of an anonymizing technology to mask phone numbers when you make calls outside the app. But, unfortunately this isn’t available in emerging markets. Hence, they had to introduce in-app messaging in addition to a few other features which we’ll talk about later on,

Before those, let’s take a look at how this in-app messaging works.

How Uber in-app messaging works

The driver sends you a message or you send one first; whichever applies, then the driver can reply with a thumbs up emoji just by tapping on the screen(this makes sense because there is a huge chance the Uber driver will be behind the wheels when when the text comes in). In my opinion, this is an awesome feature; why? For a couple of reasons:

• It eliminates the need to exchange numbers
• The Uber driver doesn’t need to park at a location and start honking the horn for several minutes
• They built it with the driver in mind(plus, it’s illegal to text and drive).

As I mentioned earlier, Uber has introduced a few other features in their app like: Snapchat filters, calendar integrations, using friends as destination locations amongst others. I believe Uber has other plans; they want their app to go beyond just a ride-hailing app.

Have you used this in-app messaging feature before? How was it? Let us know in the comments section below. Haven't heard of or used Uber? Download their app here.