Uber update turns iPhone into a colorful light to flag your driver

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Uber
Uber is removing some of the frustrations of using its app.
Photo: Uber

Chasing down your Uber driver just got a lot easier for iPhone users thanks to a new update to the ride-sharing app.

The company revealed a couple of changes and tweaks rolling out today, one of which lets you use your iPhone as a spotlight to alert

Check it out:

Spotlight
If you’re at a sporting event or somewhere that a lot of people are getting picked up by Uber, you can customize your flag’s color.

Improving Uber pickups

Spotlight is just one of many tools Uber is adding to help riders and drivers communicate. Uber told the Verge it wants to cut down cancelations that happen when riders are frustrated about not being picked up.

“When the driver has not yet arrived at the pickup location, there’s this resounding sense of stress on their part, because they don’t know what to look for necessarily,” said Ryan Yu, Uber’s product manager for rider experiences. “All they have is the pin and the address. We’re trying to give them more context.”

Other new additions include the ability to send messages to the driver in the app. You can give details of what you’re wearing or where you’re located. There’s also a list of canned messages to pick from. Messages are then read out loud to the driver.

Uber is also adding guaranteed pick ups. Schedule a ride in advance and it will get to you on time. If your ride arrives late, Uber will credit your account towards your next ride.

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