5 ms·

I don't even understand why they need local access to figure this out. Poll the web API for last_login and be done with it. Surely they're already tracking and

I don't even understand why they need local access to figure this out. Poll the web API for last_login and be done with it. Surely they're already tracking and storing this kind of data on their end.

fsargent 10y ago
It's so they can quickly switch between the most recently used maps application like Waze or Google Maps for drivers.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- alanh 10y ago
  Please don’t state speculation as fact.
  - andrewstuart2 10y ago
    What makes you think they don't/didn't work for Uber? Seems a bit speculative to me.
    - hk__2 10y ago
      OP should provide a source for their statement. But if you want to go this way, their LinkedIn profile shows they never worked for Uber.
- Buge 10y ago
  But StavrosK just claimed it doesn't work that way. He said that it will only tell you about instances of your own app, not others (such as Waze or Google Maps).
rhizome 10y ago
Does the app log in every time it starts up, or does it just have a stored access token that is simply supplied with future requests regardless of whether it's been 5 hours or 5 months?
- iofj 10y ago
  Given what the uber app does when it starts up (show you a map of your locations, with data from a few uber cars moving across it), I'd bet the app essentially contacts the servers immediately when it starts. The only this would get them is "how many times did a user try to get an uber without data connectivity" ...
  - lwf 10y ago
    And even then, you could keep that record in local storage.
  - rhizome 10y ago
    Contacting servers is one thing, logging in is another. No authentication conversation needs to occur if the auth model is based on access tokens like generic OAuth flow.
Zombieball 10y ago
Doesn't uber have tight integration with other apps that could be running? e.g. Google maps? I assume the handoff from Google Maps doesn't require any kind of check to running apps from Uber, but I am curious if it is something along these lines.
- takno 10y ago
  It does. The main reason I ended up uninstalling uber was because I didn't like it polluting my directions searches with adverts which didn't tell me anything I couldn't already have gotten from the driving directions
bkjelden 10y ago
Why make a network call if the device can give you that information locally?
- jonathankoren 10y ago
  First, you're making a network call anyway, because that's what apps do, so the data is implicit. You simply group by user id and subtract the timestamps of the requests. But let's say for some reason, you can't collect app-open timestamps. What could you possibly want to do with it locally? Say, "Hey it's been x days since you last used me. Thanks for coming back!"? These are stats you want in aggregate, which means sending the data back to the servers for actual data analysis. You're not going to do that analysis -- or any analysis -- on the device, since there's nothing to compare to.
  - bkjelden 10y ago
    Yes, but if the data of when the app was last opened is needed to make more network calls, or to just show the user something in general, you're looking at a network call with round trip latency and a success rate <100%, vs. a device call that takes <1ms and succeeds every time.
    - jonathankoren 10y ago
      Put the last opened time on the initial authorization response. We could go round and round like this. Give me a concrete use case, because for the life of me I can't come up with one that isn't simply superfluous chrome.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
- sangnoir 10y ago
  Because Uber's primary functionality depends on network calls. To me, it's pretty obvious they want to find out if you opened the Lyft app recently.

I don't even understand why they need local access to figure this out. Poll the web API for last_login and be done with it. Surely they're already tracking and storing this kind of data on their end.

fsargent 10y ago

It's so they can quickly switch between the most recently used maps application like Waze or Google Maps for drivers.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
alanh 10y ago
Please don’t state speculation as fact.
- andrewstuart2 10y ago
  What makes you think they don't/didn't work for Uber? Seems a bit speculative to me.
  - hk__2 10y ago
    OP should provide a source for their statement. But if you want to go this way, their LinkedIn profile shows they never worked for Uber.
Buge 10y ago
But StavrosK just claimed it doesn't work that way. He said that it will only tell you about instances of your own app, not others (such as Waze or Google Maps).

rhizome 10y ago

Does the app log in every time it starts up, or does it just have a stored access token that is simply supplied with future requests regardless of whether it's been 5 hours or 5 months?

iofj 10y ago
Given what the uber app does when it starts up (show you a map of your locations, with data from a few uber cars moving across it), I'd bet the app essentially contacts the servers immediately when it starts. The only this would get them is "how many times did a user try to get an uber without data connectivity" ...
- lwf 10y ago
  And even then, you could keep that record in local storage.
- rhizome 10y ago
  Contacting servers is one thing, logging in is another. No authentication conversation needs to occur if the auth model is based on access tokens like generic OAuth flow.

Zombieball 10y ago

Doesn't uber have tight integration with other apps that could be running? e.g. Google maps? I assume the handoff from Google Maps doesn't require any kind of check to running apps from Uber, but I am curious if it is something along these lines.

takno 10y ago
It does. The main reason I ended up uninstalling uber was because I didn't like it polluting my directions searches with adverts which didn't tell me anything I couldn't already have gotten from the driving directions

bkjelden 10y ago

Why make a network call if the device can give you that information locally?

jonathankoren 10y ago
First, you're making a network call anyway, because that's what apps do, so the data is implicit. You simply group by user id and subtract the timestamps of the requests. But let's say for some reason, you can't collect app-open timestamps. What could you possibly want to do with it locally? Say, "Hey it's been x days since you last used me. Thanks for coming back!"? These are stats you want in aggregate, which means sending the data back to the servers for actual data analysis. You're not going to do that analysis -- or any analysis -- on the device, since there's nothing to compare to.
- bkjelden 10y ago
  Yes, but if the data of when the app was last opened is needed to make more network calls, or to just show the user something in general, you're looking at a network call with round trip latency and a success rate <100%, vs. a device call that takes <1ms and succeeds every time.
  - jonathankoren 10y ago
    Put the last opened time on the initial authorization response. We could go round and round like this. Give me a concrete use case, because for the life of me I can't come up with one that isn't simply superfluous chrome.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
sangnoir 10y ago
Because Uber's primary functionality depends on network calls. To me, it's pretty obvious they want to find out if you opened the Lyft app recently.