Skip to main content

Uber rolls out Snapchat filters and the option to ride directly to your contacts

snapchat uber filter teleport launch blog 960x480 story r1 e1482341106404
Sure, it’s always tracking your location, but at least you can Snapchat your friends while you’re Ubering now. As part of its app redesign and overhaul, the transportation giant has introduced a Snapchat integration that allow you to “unlock custom Uber filters while you ride.”

From sending a Snap with your ETA built in to showing off your Uber style with ride-specific features, your trip has never been so … social. If you already have a Snapchat account, once you clamber into your Uber, you’ll see a Snap card in the redesigned Uber app’s feed. Simply select the filter you’d like to use, take your photo, and swipe right. If you’re really feeling crazy, you can even pair an Uber filter with a separate Snap lens.

While this may all seem like fun and games, it certainly brings into question just what sort of data sharing is going on between the two apps. Uber says that it won’t share any personal information of either the passenger or his or her Snapchat friends, and Snapchat claims that it’ll only receive the data required to offer its unique filters. But given previous privacy concerns (especially those around its new always-on location tracking), users may still be a bit wary about any new offerings from Uber.

In addition to the new Snapchat filters, Uber is also offering the option of hailing a ride directly to one of your contacts. To use this particular feature, simply sync Uber with your contacts, type in a friend’s name in the “Where to?” box, and your friend will get an Uber request, asking them to input their location. Once this information has been provided, your destination will be set, and you’ll be on your way.

“To help your friends and family know when they can expect you to arrive, we’ll share your ETA with them after you’re on your way to their location,” Uber noted in its blog post announcement. “They’ll get updates just like if you decided to share your ETA on any trip. So skip the back and forth, forget the address, and get straight to whom you’re meeting up with.”

Is it all more convenient? Sure. Does it completely assuage everyone’s privacy concerns? The jury’s still out on that one.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Snapchat is assisting your search for the perfect filter with ‘computer vision’
snapchat

Finding the perfect Snapchat filters will soon get a bit easier. Snapchat recently confirmed that the app now uses "computer vision" to recognize what’s in the photo. Once the app recognizes what’s there, Snapchat displays suggested filters based on what that photo contains, turning up pet puns for a photo of Fido or tasty graphics for food photos.

The feature is first launching in a handful of common categories. The app now includes computer vision for recognizing food, pets, sports, and beaches, and Snap Inc. says it is working to expand the object recognition to additional categories. The filter recommendations began rolling out quietly last week, with the company recently mentioning that more categories will be coming in the future.

Read more
New Uber features aim to drive the stress out of your holiday transportation
Xchange Leasing

The holiday season is fast approaching, and so too is your need to find a designated driver. With so many opportunities to make merry, you'll also want to make good decisions when it comes to leaving the party. Uber wants to lend a helping hand, and not by gouging prices this time. Rather, the ridesharing company has introduced a few new features just in time for the busy season to help you hop from one party to another with ease, starting with live location sharing.

While your driver already has a rough idea of where you are when you request a ride, live location sharing allows you to alert Uber as to your exact location relative to your pickup spot. Rather than having to call your driver to let him or her know that you'll actually be walking around the corner to hop in, or attempting to wave her down from across the street, Uber's new feature should make for a less stressful pickup.
"The rendezvous point between rider and driver is one of the most stress inducing parts [of the trip]. Often times you're on the street, it might be cold, you're looking around. It could be dark," Uber product lead Nundu Janakiram told CNN Tech. "Riders kept telling us that they were basically trying to verbally [describe] their GPS point."
To turn on live location sharing, you'll need to tap the gray icon located in the bottom right corner of your screen. Once it turns blue, you'll know that you're sharing your location. Should you prefer to stop sharing your location, simply tap the icon again, or head over to the privacy settings in the Uber app to make necessary adjustments.

Read more
The option to post Instagram Stories to Facebook is now rolling out in the U.S.
how to use Instagram Stories

With Instagram under the Facebook corporate umbrella, posting to both platforms simultaneously is pretty simple -- and now that same cross-platform use is now crossing over to Stories. After the company confirmed a test of the ability to post Instagram Stories to Facebook in September, the feature is now rolling out in the U.S.

The new feature appears to work much like cross-posting an Instagram photo. When adding to a Story, the option to also post to Facebook appears before posting. When the option is selected, those Stories will also show up on Facebook. Just as when posting an Instagram photo to Facebook, the shared Stories will have a small “Instagram” label telling viewers that the post originated on Instagram.

Read more