New Rideshare Integration

Light is adding a direct connection to Uber and Lyft with a new Rideshare tool for owners of the Light Phone III and the upcoming Light Flip. This allows users to find pickup/drop-off locations, view fares and ETAs, select different trip options or saved frequent locations, book rides, check driver information and ETAs, and even call the driver if needed.

Features of the Rideshare Tool

The integrated tool provides several core capabilities:

• Find pickup and drop-off locations
• View fares and estimated time of arrival (ETA)
• Select different trip options or saved frequent locations
• Book rides directly through the phone
• Access driver information and real-time ETA updates
• Call the driver when necessary

This represents an early preview of Light's Tool Library SDK, which will let developers expand the phones' features while maintaining the brand promise of minimized feeds and notifications.

LightOS Tool Library SDK

A blog post from Light announces that user submissions for the Tool Library will be opened by the end of the month, with broader availability expected a few weeks later. The SDK aims to give developers more ways to enhance the phones without compromising their minimalist ethos.

Partnership with Tremp

The rideshare integration is powered through a partnership with Tremp, which already operates an SMS-based method for ordering rideshares. Users set up access via Light's dashboard website, similar to how other LightOS tools function.

However, the service is not free. Tremp charges a 10 percent service fee with a $2 minimum. The fee would be waived for the first five rides within 30 days of creating an account.

Cofounder Commentary

Light cofounder Kaiwei Tang explained his vision behind these additions: "I'm not trying to design vintage phones… I want to design all this modern technology, from the ground up, and eliminate all the bullshit." He views adding essential modern features-such as a way to call for a ride-over potential distractions like constant algorithm-driven notifications as a strategy to keep users from switching to devices with more cluttered interfaces.

All facts, names, numbers, and quotations have been preserved exactly as provided in the source material.