by The next time you book a ride or order food from Uber, the app will look a little different.
On Wednesday, the transport and delivery company announced a redesign of its home screen and new functions. As the first major overhaul in several years, the new app was designed with the customer experience in mind “to make the Uber app easier, more intuitive and more personalized than ever before,” said Jen You, product lead for rides. Specifically, that means an interface that makes it easier to book an Uber, order food through Uber Eats, and track your ride.
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This is the first in a series of updates so we can expect more releases in the coming months. Here are the updates going live today.
Switch more easily between Rides and Uber Eats on the home screen
Uber Eats now takes up a little more space on the home screen. When you open the app, you’ll see the “Rides” and “Delivery” options at the top. A few years ago, Uber replaced the original homepage with train tickets. Unsurprisingly, Uber Eats has become much more popular than ride-hailing during the pandemic, so the landing page has been redesigned with the current ride/eats shared interface. Now you can switch between rides and delivery with a tap.
The new and improved Uber home screen.
Photo credit: Uber
All Uber services in one place.
Photo credit: Uber
The home screen also has a new Services tab at the bottom; This is the hub for all Uber deals near you, including e-scooter rentals and flower delivery. There’s also a new Activity tab that keeps track of all your rides and orders in one place.
Track the progress of your ride without unlocking your phone
The hassle of unlocking your phone to check your driver’s details and status is a thing of the past. The Uber app now supports Live Activity on iPhones running iOS 16 and Dynamic Island for iPhone 14 Pros. iPhone users can glance at their lock screen and see live updates without going into the Uber app. Don’t worry Android users – Uber is rolling out a similar feature for you in the coming weeks.
“Saved Places” are here to help
If you’re dying to bookmark your favorite destinations, this is for you. Now when you tap Where to in the search bar, Uber will show you a drop-down menu to select from your Saved Places. According to the announcement, it will also suggest destinations and rides “based on your preferences, previous trips and the most likely destinations.” Uber also makes recommendations on which rides to take based on your past rides, i.e. Uber Pet, Uber Green, or wheelchair-accessible rides.
