Last year, Uber has collaborated with Google to integrate its cab services through Google Maps. It basically allowed users to book cabs right from the Google Maps app whenever they searched for a route or a destination.
So this is how it was supposedly working till date – when a user searches for any destination or direction in the Google Maps app along with the directions, the maps guide the user to reach the destination either by walking, driving, biking, riding a bike or any mass transit, however after both the companies’ collaboration, Uber used to appear as an additional option in that navigating menu. This allowed a user to book the cab right from the maps app and payments were also allowed to be made without the need of installing Uber app itself.
And now, this feature is axed, yes Google has released a new support page mentioning this feature being removed, (first spotted by Android Police).
The page states “You can no longer book Uber rides directly in Google Maps. But you can still look up the route in the Maps app and then request the ride from the Uber app.”
Now, if the user wants to search a route and then book a cab, the Google Maps redirects into the Uber app instead of the above-stated procedure, which was actually convenient. There are currently around 17 cab riding services globally, which utilise this feature in the maps app.
As for India, along with Uber, the other ride-hailing services who utilise this feature include Ola Cabs and Meru Cabs, which also lost this support.
The reason is still not known about why Google has chosen to stop support for this handy feature globally.
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