#Lyft driver app can detect fake app location on my phone how to#

In the companyвЂ™s partnership with GM and Cruise, Lyft is focused not on building cars nor sensors but on user-experience problems like how to connect users with self-driving cars, how to personalize the ride and how to convey to riders what the car is thinking and doing. Though splurging on hardware that serves simple functions might seem at odds with a tech industry obsessed with intangibles like advanced machine learning, itвЂ™s also easy to see how this could be early field-testing for the вЂњinterior experienceвЂќ Lyft is working on in the driverless space. And it was clear that the leader in the space is focusing their investment in algorithms, trying to improve their user experience by predicting where riders want to go and even the minute they will arrive.

#Lyft driver app can detect fake app location on my phone update#

Uber, LyftвЂ™s chief rival, recently announced the first big update to the companyвЂ™s rider app in four years.

#Lyft driver app can detect fake app location on my phone drivers#

When asked how the company will measure the return on the investment, Rapaport said that вЂњevery second savedвЂќ for riders and drivers helps justify the expense, as does an increase in ridership that might be tied to the campaign.

#Lyft driver app can detect fake app location on my phone free#

The company would not comment on the cost of developing the product-which has been in the works for several months-or providing it free of charge to the more than 300,000 drivers on the platform.

(Ride app companies have encountered problems with people posing as fake drivers many rides currently start with the driver and rider name-checking each other to make sure theyвЂ™re both in the right place.) Eventually the app will allow riders to flash the same color on their screens, so the parties can signal each other like blind daters who both bring roses to a restaurant. Lyft hopes this will lessen confusion at busy pickup spots and add a layer of reassurance for riders. The Amp display, made up of 160 LED lights, can signal in six colors, and the rider will be notified in the app that theyвЂ™re looking for, say, a teal or green display. The rest of the companyвЂ™s roughly 200 markets in the U.S. вЂњWe are excited to see a bunch of cars driving around with Lyft front and center on the vehicle,вЂќ said Tali Rapaport, a VP of product, emphasizing that in addition to practical functions, the lighting devices are meant to help keep вЂњLyft top of mind in the markets where it is.вЂќ Rapaport said that the company plans to first ship the devices to drivers in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York with the goal of having their dashboards вЂњlit upвЂќ by New YearвЂ™s. And assuming drivers embrace Amp, the beacons may also serve as thousands of bright little mobile billboards for the company in cities around the country. On the back is a display of running text that passengers can see once inside the car, adding a way for Lyft to communicate messages to riders. On the front is a multi-color LED lighting display that is designed to help passengers quickly connect with the correct driver on the ground. Ronae Christensen, a DoorDash driver in Los Angeles County and a member of the companyвЂ™s driver council, says she thinks the safety buttons are a great idea.Called Amp, the deviceвЂ™s purpose is three-fold as of the launch, though executives said the company might add functions down the line. Lyft also has a partnership with ADT that was announced last year. Ride-hailing companies like Lyft and Uber also have in-app buttons to let riders and drivers contact emergency services in their apps. The app automatically shares the shopperвЂ™s location with those services.

Last year, Instacart added a button to its app that lets shoppers contact emergency services directly if thereвЂ™s a problem. And in August, a DoorDash driver was shot to death while making deliveries in Maryland.ДoorDash isnвЂ™t the first delivery company to augment safety for drivers. That same month, two Washington, D.C., teens assaulted an Uber Eats driver with a stun gun, causing his vehicle to crash and killing him. In March, a 19-year-old DoorDash driver in Columbus, Ohio, was beaten after he got confused over an address. The enhanced safety follows several high-profile attacks on delivery drivers. ADT will contact 911 and then remain in touch with the driver via text messages. DoorDash is also adding an emergency-assistance button to its app, which drivers can swipe to let ADT know they need immediate help.