As controversial as it may be, Uber is certainly changing some aspects of transportation. Even though there have been competitors for Uber, this company is finding new ways to expand their business, being delivery a strong possibility. Uber is also investing in the necessary technology for building a self-driving car, which includes advanced mapping technology. Of course, the simplicity of their mobile app made such success possible, so they have been improving it over time, and not only for their users but also for their drivers. Now, developers will get a chance to integrate Uber into their own apps.
To order a taxi from Uber, you would usually go into their app and request the service from the options they offer. The service has been integrated into Google Maps for a while, so if you have an Uber account, you just need to tap on a certain place or address, and the app will show an option to request a taxi and the fare estimate without having to go into another app. Uber has now made available a “Ride Request” button so developers can use it in their own apps. Android and iOS developers can grab and add this button with few lines of code to some sections of their apps that include addresses or public places like movie theaters, restaurants and hotels. These are called “intents to ride” by the company.
To do so, app developers need to register their apps on the Uber Developer Dashboard, they also need to install the new Uber Android or iOS Rides SDK and finally they just need to configure how the button will show up next to the “intent to ride”. With this implementation, users with an Uber account will be redirected into the app with some preloaded information such as pickup location or destination, while those who aren’t registered on Uber will be directed to download the app. Developers from the US can sign up for their Affiliate Program to earn $5 every time a user requests a service using this new button. This deep linking technology is usually quite complicated, but with the new button, small developers can integrate it in their apps to offer a “differentiated feature” for their users.