Uber overhauls app safety features, including a new way to text 911
by Andrew J. Hawkins from The Verge - All Posts on (#6329H)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Uber is overhauling its four-year-old app safety toolkit, adding a new feature for riders to contact security company ADT during rides. The company is also expanding the availability of a feature enabling customers to text 911.
The safety toolkit is a section of Uber's app through which customers can contact emergency services, report a safety issue to the company, or share their location with a family member or friend. It was first rolled out in 2018 as a way to address the company's abysmal record on safety. Uber claims its rides are getting safer, and today's announcement is meant to reflect these improving conditions.
With so many safety features, it is time for an upgrade," Rebecca Payne, the company's lead safety product manager,...