Uber updates API, allows any app to be an Uber app

With an updated API, Any app can be an Uber app. We'd previously heard rumblings that Uber was working their way into other apps, namely Facebook Messenger, but the company wasn't happy to stop there. Now, the ride-sharing technology company will allow any app to work Uber into the mix with an updated API, which they say allows another third-party to "incorporate the entire Uber experience". With this new-look API, you not only get info on where Uber might be, but you can request a ride, too.

The in-app experience is simple, too. In your chosen third-party app, you can see where Uber might be in your area, request a ride, and cancel that request. Doing so doesn't even take you back to the Uber app proper, though you will need an Uber account to make it all work.

The aim is to bring Uber to the masses, of course. It's also an attractive add-on for apps that are in use by travelers. If a trip planning app were to implement Uber, for instance, it might make theirs much more attractive to users.

Then again, with the murky waters Uber is almost always in, some Developers might stay clear of Uber. Given their worldwide headline-grabbing incidents with municipalities that don't want them around and drivers assaulting passengers (and Uber's hand-washing of those situations), a third-party may not want to subject themselves to litigation.

Still, it's a big step for Uber; one that makes them more platform than app. The updated API is currently available for Developers, so expect Uber in other apps in a few weeks time.

Source: Uber