Tech

Snapchat now lets you hail an Uber and book a restaurant in its app

Key Points
  • Context Cards are ways that outside companies can include their services inside the Snapchat app.
  • Location-tagged Snaps may include a Context Card that will give more information about the business where the snap was taken. Features include booking a reservation or taking a rideshare service to the establishment.
  • Partner companies at lauch include Uber, Lyft, OpenTable, Resy, BookaTable, Tripadvisor, Foursquare, Michelin and goop.
Snap is one of the most successful business ideas to come out of southern California's thriving start-up scene, which has received $20 billion in VC money since 2010.
Courtesy of Snap

Snapchat is making it easier to do everything you need to do inside its app, including booking restaurants and ordering a ride.

The company announced on Tuesday it was introducing Context Cards, a feature that allows outside companies to include their services inside the app. TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Michelin, goop, OpenTable, Resy, Bookatable, Uber and Lyft are among the companies included at launch. Snap did not disclose financial terms on the partnerships.

"With Context Cards, Snaps have become the visual starting point for learning more about the world, empowering our community to get more information about anything that catches their eye," the company wrote in a blog post.

Context Cards can appear in any location-tagged snap, which can be added if a business has its own filter, or if the user submits the snap to the public Our Story feature.

Users will access the Context Card through the word "More" which now appears at the bottom of the snap. Swiping up then reveals the extra content, like goop's City Guides, restaurant reviews from TripAdvisor and Michelin, or the ability to book a reservation through OpenTable, Resy or Bookatable. Users may also be able to call an Uber or Lyft to the get to the business.

The function will be available in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand on iOS and Android at launch, with additional countries to be announced at a later date.