New Messaging in the Uber App Makes It Easier to Find a Driver
Every time I type my address into Uber, the GPS directs the drivers to a location about a block away. I tried to throw a pin where I am and just walked down the street, but eventually settled on texting drivers whenever I request a ride and just letting them know where I am.
This works well when I request a car myself, but sometimes confuses the drivers when I pick up number 2 in the pool and they are not sure who is contacting them. Uber is now making the whole process much easier by doing what they probably should have done in the first place and deploying in-app messaging.
Uber currently anonymizes phone numbers when you text through the app to prevent passengers and drivers from sending unwanted text messages to each other, making unwanted calls, or transmitting personal information. This is all good for privacy purposes, but if your driver is texting or calling you and you are not expecting it, it may seem like a random number is being contacted (and vice versa), which can be especially confusing in Pool Scenario.
With in-app messaging, you will know that the message came from your Uber driver, and your Uber driver will know that it is “Emily” sending the message, not “Bob” or “Tony”, whom he also meets on the same trip. … … Chats are sent using the same contact button that you previously used to send texts. Uber has also included read receipts, so even if you don’t get a response from the driver, you can tell that he or she probably saw your message.
While the driver is on the road, chat messages will be read aloud to them, so they don’t have to take their eyes off the road, which is definitely a safety improvement over their difficulty reading SMS. One tap on the app will send the rider a thumb up emoji, confirming the message has been received.
The opportunity to chat with the driver ends as soon as you make the trip, so you still dodge unwanted calls / text messages. An Uber spokesperson told me that the company is looking into adding the ability to use in-app messaging to find lost items later, but that won’t be available at launch. From the outside, it seems to open the door again to “give the creepy driver who beat me my number” so I would rather they didn’t, although at least in the app I suppose they would record the interaction and can fire him a little faster.
In the next few weeks, in-app messaging will spread to riders and drivers around the world.