Lyft gets prettier, Uber integrates with Facebook

One day after Facebook announces Uber integration in Messenger, Lyft gets a facelift

This is just how it goes: You can’t be a big tech company without changing the way your app looks on the regular.

Doing its duty then, Lyft announced today that it has redesigned its app to make it easier to choose the appropriate service, set your pickup location, and more.

Instead of having to tap between “Line” and “Lyft” and “Plus” individually to compare them, the new app lets you see them all at once, including the estimated ETA using that option. (That is, ETA for the car to arrive at your pickup location.)

It does not, however, display price estimates for the trip until you set your destination, meaning you must click back, select a different option, and reset the destination to see how different services’ prices compare. And, strangely, the standard Lyft service doesn’t display a price estimate until you tap the little box for “price estimate,” which magically makes it appear.

Once the ride has been requested, you can review the price estimate, contact the driver, split the fare, send ETA to someone, or cancel the ride all from one accessible taskbar.

The new app also lets those riding to the airport set their specific terminal, which is actually quite convenient. And, of course, everything about the app features new colors and icons, including a glowing loading screen. Fancy.

All these changes apply to the iOS app, with an Android update “coming soon.”

The Lyft redesign comes a day after a big announcement from Facebook that it has integrated Uber directly into its Facebook Messenger app.

Within the app, you simply need to tap the "more" menu and choose "Transportation." Then you tap the car icon to hail an Uber. In fact, you never have to open the Uber app as you get driver status updates and even pay for the ride directly from Messenger.

Facebook product manager Seth Rosenberg says this Uber integration is just one in a long line of business integrations over the past year, as they've added retailers, household brands, and hotels to the app.

We’ve reached out to see if Lyft will be joining this integration as well. If not, it’s a huge missed opportunity. Around 800 million people use Facebook Messenger regularly, making it pretty obvious why Uber (and Lyft) should be jumping at this opportunity.

If you want to test it out, Facebook and Uber are offering the first ride for free (up to a $20 value). To claim the free ride, just link your Uber account to Messenger and request a ride.