Would you use Uber if it returned to Salem?
- by Carmen Reese
- in Science
- — Jan 13, 2017
Although Google has also made other updates to Maps in this app update, the focus is on ride services so all of the changes, save for likely some bug fixes and improvements that tend to come with just about every app update, are geared towards booking and managing your rides from within the app.
Google has added features upon features to Google Maps, slowly integrating everything you need to travel in one single app.
With this update, Google Maps now feels a bit more like the native apps those services already offer.
Assuming you've logged in with your Uber account details, once booked, Google Maps will show inform you when the vehicle has arrived and will even show the driver on a live map.
You don't even need to have the Uber app installed on your smartphone in order to hail a ride, though you will need an active account of course. Tapping on one provider, like Uber or Lyft, will then bring up a list of ride and payment choices, along with any kind of special coupons or promotions that ride provider might be running at the time.
The new feature is available in the latest version of Google Maps and is rolling out today to all Android and iOS users. This is mostly likely just the old Google Maps interface, which let you browse rides and see the cost without the ability to book a ride directly. "When you open ride services mode, instead of a long list of ride service providers and ride options, you'll see the map you know and love, along with a carousel of ride service providers in your area".
