Uber just announced that it is updating its flagship mobile app to provide more personalized recommendations of the different services it offers while it is also aiming to make it easier for users to book a ride or order food.
Even though the update may have been available to users in some corners of the world before today’s announcement, Uber may have now rolled out the new user interface worldwide.
Here’s What Users Will Get with The New Uber App
The first aspect of the updated version that is worth noting is a new home screen that includes shortcuts to the firm’s most popular services including rides, package delivery, and cargo shipments.
Meanwhile, the mobility company has also incorporated the user’s historical activities into the home screen so they can easily check the status of their orders and make new ones based on the same data.
Uber (UBER) has also added personalized recommendations to every single service offered by the app by tapping on the user’s saved locations and past activities. From now on, users will get recommendations for possible destinations, restaurants, and other similar items based on their preferences and geographical location.
In addition, the most used services will be ranked first within the app once the user opens it up. For example, if you primarily use Uber for rides, the corresponding interface for this service will be the first thing you see once you go in.
The new version includes some neat features, such as a “dynamic island.” Users can now monitor their ride’s location and how near they are to their destination with a bubble-shaped notification box that appears on their phone’s home screen. However, this feature will only be available on specific iPhone models.
Uber promised that new features and updates will be made to its app over the coming months as the company keeps working to develop what has been deemed as a mobility “super app”.
Uber Makes Deal with Google and Oracle After Years of Running its Own Servers
These changes are being made just a couple of weeks after the company announced that it made a deal with Alphabet (GOOG) and Oracle to store its data in the cloud as the firm plans to progressively wind down its data center operations.
For years, Uber insisted on running its own servers – a practice that is considered odd among tech firms. However, the company’s efforts to establish a clearer path to profitability may have led to the decision of transitioning this task to well-reputed third parties.
“Although Uber and Google already have a partnership, the new cloud agreement strengthens their collaboration in other areas, such as launching new services. For example, Uber will use Google’s mapping service for directing its vehicles and Google’s advertising product for its growing ads business,” said Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud, regarding the deal.
Limited data transfer capacity may have been one of the limitations that prevented Uber from ramping up its mobile application. With that obstacle out of the way, the company may now progressively roll over further updates that help it increase its average revenues per user by providing more personalized recommendations and streamlining its services.
In November last year, Uber launched a premium membership called Uber One that offered, among other things, discounts for eligible rides and delivery orders, zero-fee deliveries, and cashback rewards.
According to the company’s latest quarterly report, the membership is now available in 12 countries and nearly 12 million have subscribed to it. The cost of Uber One is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, meaning that the firm could already be racking up some $1.2 billion per year in additional revenues with this premium service.
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