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

By Lulu Chang December 22, 2016

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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.

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Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

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