Uber Overhauls Its Mobile App

Ride sharing service provider Uber has decided to go back to square one and completely rebuild its official mobile app. This time around, however, the company is paying more attention to offering speed and efficiency to its users. This was revealed much by Travis Kalanick, the chief executive officer of Uber, who recently said this week that the latest update is not just a redesign, but more like an overhaul.

Perhaps every mobile user is already familiar with Uber’s set up by now -- with the use of the Uber app, people can get a driver to give them a ride to a specific destination. Already seven years old, Uber has evolved from a mere startup into one of the most widely used ride sharing service around the world. To date, the app is being used in over 70 countries across the globe. Uber has also managed to become one of the most highly valued ventured backed company in the planet, with its value at $68 billion. 

But judging by its latest move, it is clear that Uber wants to keep innovating itself. And this does not only apply to the company’s mobile app, but also to various facets of its operations. Recently, it has started exploring the concept of self driving vehicles, and just a week ago, it managed to deliver beer by way of a self driving truck. Uber appears to be always looking to the future, not only anticipating the increasing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) in the next few years, but also showing signs of expanding into a robotics firm. 

As for its mobile app, the last time Uber had introduced major changes was about four years ago, when it rolled out a new feature that allowed the app to display Uber car icons on streets. The company has since made some additional changes through the years, making the app rather overloaded now, at the expense of ease of navigation and user friendliness.

But Uber is set on making its app more easy to use right now. The latest changes have already started deploying this week, and they include a faster launching time for the app, more efficient passenger pickups, and a more customized overall user experience. Other new features include the ability to connect the smartphone’s calendar to the Uber app, as well as optimized pickup points, which recommends the best location to users when meeting drivers, taking into consideration the distance of the intended destination and other factors such as traffic and one way streets.