Every great ride starts with the pickup, so we’re always thinking about ways to make the pickup experience as frictionless as possible for riders and drivers alike. That includes helping riders and drivers connect should they need to get in touch with one another to solve for things like road closures, or to just provide information on their exact location.

Today riders and drivers can contact one another using apps outside of Uber. But these texts can lack context – is this random number my driver? How do I know if my SMS was received?

So we’re adding a way for riders and drivers to chat right in the Uber app. It’s now easier than ever to get in touch.

To chat with their driver en route, a rider should go to the Uber feed and tap “contact” and then “chat.” When drivers receives a chat from the rider, it will be read aloud to them. Drivers can acknowledge receipt with one tap to their app to send a “thumbs up” to their rider. That way, they can stay focused on the road. Both riders and drivers will see if their chats are delivered and read, helping to confirm the other actually received the communication.

Our in-app chat feature also means that regardless of where they are located – whether it be the Cleveland, Chennai or Cartagena – riders and drivers won’t need to share their phone number with one another when they need to get in touch.

In-app chat is rolling out globally to both riders and drivers over the coming weeks. This is our first step towards leveraging real-time-messaging to enable seamless communication experiences for our customers and help them connect in both the digital and physical worlds. Make sure you have the latest version of the app to use it and stay tuned for more updates!