Tech giant, Uber has been trying to get its services better integrated into third-party apps in recent years, and in that vein it has launched a new widget and branding feature.
The company has announced a "Ride Request Widget," which is built on the previously available "Ride Request Button," adding extra functionality and improvements for customers with limited connectivity. According to Uber, the widget only takes "a few minutes" for developers to add to their apps.
Once the widget is integrated, users will be able to access a simplified version of the Uber interface that lets them choose a ride type (Uber X, Uber Black, etc.), and shows them a pick-up time estimate.
Once they enter the car, the widget will then show an ETA for their destination - all of that will happen without ever loading the Uber app itself. In order to work well in areas with poor connectivity, no map is loaded; a simple bar is displayed instead.
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Apart to the widget announcement, Uber is also introducing "Trip Branding," which will change the experience inside the Uber app when a user requests a ride through a third-party site or app (but not through the new widget, which doesn't take you into the main app).
This gives companies the ability to add a button to the Uber ride screen that deeply links into the company's own app, providing destination details or other information.
Citymapper, Zomato and Hilton have already signed up for the program, along with "a few other partners", according to Engadget.
Hilton's Uber "Trip branding" button lets you view your reservation, check-in or request an upgrade.
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Uber says both the Ride Request Widget and Trip Branding are open to all third-party developers now
