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Uber now lets you call your driver using VOIP

The feature will make contacting your driver easier for foreign travelers.

Uber now lets you call your driver using VOIP

[Photo: rawpixel/Unsplash]

BY Michael Grothaus0 minute read

Riders typically contact their Uber driver before they arrive for the pickup if they are running late or think they’ll have other problems meeting at the pickup point. Now the company has added the ability to VOIP your driver in addition to texting, using in-app messaging, or a regular phone call, reports Engadget. VOIP is the ability to place a voice call over a data network instead of a cellular one. The tech is already used for services such as Skype, FaceTime, and WhatsApp calls.

The addition of VOIP calling in the Uber app could be a godsend to foreign travelers who often don’t have a cellular connection when touching down in another country’s airport. Now those travelers will be able to place calls to their drivers as long as they are still within range of an airport’s free Wi-Fi, for example. The VOIP calling feature is available in the latest update to the app.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Grothaus is a novelist and author. He has written for Fast Company since 2013, where he's interviewed some of the tech industry’s most prominent leaders and writes about everything from Apple and artificial intelligence to the effects of technology on individuals and society. Michael’s current tech-focused areas of interest include AI, quantum computing, and the ways tech can improve the quality of life for the elderly and individuals with disabilities More


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