Uber announced Thursday morning the addition of an in-app chat. Now, riders can message drivers directly in the app to give them a better idea about where they're actually located or any roadblocks that might make for a difficult pickup.
Before this feature, Uber users simply had to stand around waiting until their driver arrived. Drivers could call the passenger with the phone number used on the account if they couldn't find them upon arrival, but it was often too cumbersome.
The new in-app messaging can be found at the bottom of the Uber feed. Just hit "contact" and then "chat" to start a conversation. The text is read out loud to your driver to avoid accidents caused by looking at their phone. Your driver can then tap the screen once to send a thumbs up emoji, letting you know they've seen the message.
The feature also has its own version of read receipts, so both driver and rider know if their messages have been delivered and read.
Uber hopes that this will cut down on the personal phone number information that needs to be shared in the app. This should make both parties feel a little safer with their increased privacy.
The company is rolling out the in-app chat around the world over the next few week. Be sure to look for updates in your app to get the feature as soon as it becomes available.
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