Uber Just Made a Major Improvement to the Live Activity Feature on Apple Watch

With watchOS 11, Apple brought the Live Activities feature from iPhone to Apple Watch so users can check for real-time updates directly from the Smart Stack. While watchOS can mirror Live Activities from iPhone, Uber has now significantly improved its Live Activities on Apple Watch.

Uber Live Activity on Apple Watch

As many users have noted, the Uber app's Live Activities have now been customized with a dedicated interface for the Apple Watch. Previously, during a trip, Uber Live Activity would only display the Uber logo and ETA, as it was simply duplicating what was displayed in the compact view for Dynamic Island on iPhone.

With the update, Live Activities on Apple Watch now show an icon with a circular progress bar so you can track your ride in real time. The ETA is also clearer, as Live Activities now show “Dropoff at” instead of just showing the estimated time. Additionally, Live Activities on Apple Watch also display an image of the car with a license plate when the driver arrives.

While it’s a small touch, it significantly improves the Uber ride tracking experience for Apple Watch users, especially since Uber is discontinuing its Apple Watch app in 2022.

As mentioned above, Live Activities on Apple Watch appear in a Smart Stack, which can be accessed by turning the Digital Crown up. However, the system automatically displays the Smart Stack with the Live Activity at the top whenever there is a new status update. Developers can create custom Live Activities for Apple Watch even without the watchOS app.

If you’re an Uber user, make sure you have the latest version of the app on your iPhone to access the new features. It's worth noting that watchOS 11 requires an Apple Watch Series 6 or later.