Uber will soon be introducing an in-app chat to their Uber mobile application. Riders will be able to directly message drivers directly in the app without any need to call their driver.
At the moment, the only way a driver and a rider to communicate is for the Uber driver to call their rider in case they were lost or needed further directions.
The new in-app chat feature can be found at the bottom of the Uber feed. Riders just hit “contact” and then “chat” to start a conversation with their Uber driver. When drivers receive the chat, it will be read aloud so they don’t get distracted when trying to read the text. How this read aloud feature might work if you type incorrectly or with shorthand remains to be seen.
Drivers can reply using a thumbs up emoji to communicate that they’ve received the rider’s message.
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. Just like WhatsApp, the in-app chat will have read and delivered receipts so you know if the message you sent went through or not.
Good Move
The in-app chat will be useful in helping to curb the solicitation of unwanted communication between drivers and riders especially after a trip is over.
Uber is rolling out the in-app feature worldwide and should be available in an update in the coming weeks.
Source: Uber Newsroom
