Uber has been built directly into Google Maps

Go ahead, enlarge it and marvel. (credit: Google)

Google Maps is providing a big update for ride sharers: direct booking integration. In a post on the official blog today, Google announced you'll now be able to search, browse, request, and pay for an Uber directly from Google Maps. You don't even need the Uber app installed; Google says you merely need to sign into your Uber account for it to work.

Booking a ride is easy. After picking a destination in Google Maps, next to the "car" and "mass transit" tabs is a ride sharing tab. Tap on it, and you'll see the fees and arrival times from Uber. From there, pick a credit card through your Uber account and hit "request." All the usual Uber features seem to be here, including arrival times, driver ratings, and a driver call button.

Oddly, there is a "Lyft" tab in the video along with screenshots, but Google doesn't mention anything about direct Lyft booking in its post. This is most likely just the old Google Maps interface, which let you browse rides and see the cost without the ability to book a ride directly.

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