Uber Eats Rolling Out Support for Tracking Orders on iPhone's Lock Screen and Dynamic Island

[MacRumors]

Uber Eats has started rolling out Live Activities support around the world, allowing iPhone users to easily track their order on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. The feature is available to a small percentage of users in the latest version of the Uber Eats app, and it will be available more widely within the next week or so.

Live Activities is an iOS 16 feature that allows iPhone users to stay on top of real-time events with a live-updating notification on the Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models. For Uber Eats, the feature makes it easier to track the live progress of a delivery at a glance without opening the app. Information shown includes the order status, ETA, driver's name and photo, and store's image.

Uber added Live Activities support to its main app for rides earlier this year. Uber Eats is a standalone app for delivery of food, groceries, and select other items, and its adoption of the feature will be very useful for tracking an order.

Other popular apps that support Live Activities include the NBA and MLB apps for basketball and baseball games, Flighty for flight tracking, Citymapper for public transit, ParkMobile for parking, and CARROT Weather for weather forecasts. Google Maps is also planning to support the feature for turn-by-turn directions in the coming months.

Article Link: Uber Eats Rolling Out Support for Tracking Orders on iPhone's Lock Screen and Dynamic Island

 

[DaPizzaMan]

Just in time for iOS 17, how lovely.

 

[The Incendiary]

What took so long? Developers get access to iOS betas, and with Uber Eats’ presumably large iPhone user install base, you’d think this would have been a priority for them.

Anything that makes an app or service easier to use and gives me more information at a glance (and with less steps or taps to see it) is ideal.

 

[antiprotest]

It is interesting how long it takes for something simple like this to come, when it could have been rolled out even during iOS 16 beta. I suppose it can't be a priority, since people are not going to use or not use the app just because of this feature. However, even Apple does not support its own new features with enthusiasm. Apple's own lock screen widget set, live activities, and dynamic island support, are all still weak and lacking. Not angry about it. Just an observation.

 

[RedTheReader]

This is pretty neat. I still prefer just going to pick up take-out myself, but it's nice to see more conveniences added to services like these.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Only a year too late.

 

[Vol Braakzakje]

What took so long? Developers get access to iOS betas, and with Uber Eats’ presumably large iPhone user install base, you’d think this would have been a priority for them.

Anything that makes an app or service easier to use and gives me more information at a glance (and with less steps or taps to see it) is ideal.

Ideal for the user. But the app devs want as many clicks, as much interaction as possible. They want you to open the app. They want you to use the app, they want to track your behaviour.

 

[The Incendiary]

Ideal for the user. But the app devs want as many clicks, as much interaction as possible. They want you to open the app. They want you to use the app, they want to track your behaviour.

But there’s a thin line there. I’m more inclined to continually use an app that offers me more functionality and is more integrated into the OS. I understand that devs want to analyze use behavior, but the days spent on the other side the coin (unlocking a device, scrolling to an app, opening it, finding my food order, tapping “Track”, etc.) should be over. It isn’t 2009 anymore.

iOS has evolved to make things easier with many more conveniences and shortcuts. If devs choose to embrace that, their users will benefit, and in turn, so will they. Case in point: I don’t know which other food delivery apps use Live Activities, but even per this article I’d absolutely use and recommend Uber Eats over any other app that doesn’t have this functionality.

If an app goes out of its way to make things take longer for me to get to and see to the point it becomes a frustration, I stop using it and delete it.

 

[FelixDerKater]

I don't see why developers are struggling so much to deliver these tiny widgets.

 

[iGeneo]

Since i get $25 in Uber Eats credits monthly (AMEX) I embrace this new feature. 👍

 

[gigapocket1]

I don't see why developers are struggling to much to deliver these tiny widgets.

especially with all these talented developers that they hired...

 

[acousticbiker]

I don't see why developers are struggling to much to deliver these tiny widgets.

See here for potential reasons:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/disappointed-in-lack-of-live-activities.2380427/

Hopefully the Uber Eats implementation of it is more useful/informative than the Uber implementation (screenshots/limitations of which you can also see in linked thread)

 

[JustSomebody12]

Ideal for the user. But the app devs want as many clicks, as much interaction as possible. They want you to open the app. They want you to use the app, they want to track your behaviour.

Also live activities are currently only on iPhone 14 Pro, which is a tiny part of all iPhones.

The feature is good, but there may be other, more impactful foci for the development team…

 

[MrRom92]

Pretty cool feature. I never used Uber eats before but now I might try it. I used to use grubhub very regularly - practically every day - but I stopped and haven’t since I unfortunately experienced some pretty severe racism from their customer support team based on the restaurants I was ordering from… shame on them.

 

[alankemsley]

One year too late. Also, the live activities aren't very useful when the notifications are still constantly coming. It should be either one or the other. Not both.

I picked up my delivery, ate my food, and then looked at my phone to find 7 new notifications from Uber Eats, even with Live Activities turned on.

 

[svish]

Good. More apps should use the dynamic island.

 

[whatgift]

Also live activities are currently only on iPhone 14 Pro, which is a tiny part of all iPhones.

Live activities are available on any device running iOS 16, it's only the ability to run them in the dynamic island that is unique to the 14 Pro's.

 

[_Spinn_]

This is great. Now if Apple would support Live Activities when someone is sharing their route with you in Apple Maps.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Just in time for iOS 17, how lovely.

NOT lovely!

Uber and Uber eats FLOODS iOS Notifications with needless ads! Especially interruptive Ads when you're ordering food or hailing an Uber - Jump pop-up register for Uber this or that and save with the default highlighted button to join/register! I freaking HATE THAT

Now they'll do the same with the Dynamic Island ... enjoy that endless annoyance.

And they're VERY cleaver to pop-up the prompt to join their other services right over where you're about to hit the button to submit your order or hail your ride (just before payment pop-up)!

 

[JustSomebody12]

Live activities are available on any device running iOS 16, it's only the ability to run them in the dynamic island that is unique to the 14 Pro's.

True, but the waoh effect is with the dynamic island

 

[grandchester]

Still don’t get them. Have it turned on in settings app is up to date. Very frustrating

 

[DarkRaider]

Still don’t get them. Have it turned on in settings app is up to date. Very frustrating

Yup, same here. No idea why this is a feature that needs to be rolled out.

 

[ke-iron]

Also live activities are currently only on iPhone 14 Pro, which is a tiny part of all iPhones.

The feature is good, but there may be other, more impactful foci for the development team…

This is incorrect. I used it on my iPhone 11 Pro. However I have an iPhone 14 pro and it doesn’t work.

 

[The Incendiary]

This is incorrect. I used it on my iPhone 11 Pro. However I have an iPhone 14 pro and it doesn’t work.

Strange, mine have been working for weeks now. I have noticed that the estimated delivery timer on the right side of the Dynamic Island has not been updating as quickly or often as a week or two ago though. Maybe this is still rolling out to everyone?

 

[ke-iron]

Strange, mine have been working for weeks now. I have noticed that the estimated delivery timer on the right side of the Dynamic Island has not been updating as quickly or often as a week or two ago though. Maybe this is still rolling out to everyone?

Either it’s still rolling out or it’s buggy and just don’t work for some of us. But I can confirm it doesn’t work at all on my brand new iPhone 14 pro.