Next time you book a ride or order food from Uber, the app will look a little different.
On Wednesday, the ride-hailing and delivery company announced a redesign of its homescreen and new features. The first major revamp in several years, the new app was designed with the customer experience in mind, “making the Uber app easier, more intuitive, and more personalized than ever before,” said Jen You, head of product for Rides. Specifically, that means an interface that makes it easier to book an Uber, order food through Uber Eats, and track your ride.
This is the first in a series of updates, so we can expect more releases in the coming months. Here are the updates that go live today.
Switch more easily between Rides and Uber Eats on the homescreen
Uber Eats now occupies a little more real estate on the homescreen. When you open the app, you’ll see options saying “Rides” and “Delivery” at the top. A few years ago, Uber replaced the original rides map homepage. To no one’s surprise, Uber Eats became a lot more popular than ride-hailing during the pandemic, so the landing page was redesigned with the current shared Ride/Eats interface. Now, you can toggle between Rides and Delivery with one tap.
Credit: Uber
Credit: Uber
The homescreen also has a new “Services” tab on the bottom; this is the hub for all the Uber offerings in your area, including e-scooter rental and flower delivery. There’s also a new “Activity” tab, which tracks all of your rides and orders in one place.
Track your ride’s progress without unlocking your phone
The tedious act of unlocking your phone to check your driver’s details and status is a thing of the past. The Uber app now supports Live Activities on iPhones with iOS 16 and Dynamic Island for iPhone 14 Pros. iPhone users will be able to glance down at their lockscreen and see live updates without having to go into the Uber app. Don’t fret, Android users — Uber is rolling out a similar feature for you in the coming weeks.
“Saved Places” are here to help
If you’re obsessive about bookmarking your favorite destinations, this one’s for you. Now when you tap “Where to” in the search bar, Uber will show you a dropdown to select from your “Saved Places.” It will also suggest destinations and rides “based on your preferences, past trips, and most likely destinations,” according to the announcement. Uber will also make recommendations of which rides to take based on your past trips, i.e. Uber Pet, Uber Green, or wheelchair-accessible rides.
