✈️ Flying away? Uber has three new features to make your airport trips easier. The first, UberXXL, gets you a bigger car with extra trunk space for groups. The second, UberX Share, allows you to pay 25% by sharing a ride with someone heading your way. It’s available now at select airports. And finally, with Uber Reserve, you can have a car waiting for you when you land.
Privacy tip: Make sure you're not accidentally sharing your location with apps or people
Ever text a picture to an acquaintance or someone you just met? Depending on your phone and camera’s settings, you may have inadvertently sent where you live, too. This is what someone can see from just a photo.
One good thing about social media is that most platforms wipe out this data. Still, they’re exposing you in other ways. Here’s how to check everything Facebook collects.
Your devices and apps know where you are, too, but you can stop that.
Location, location, location
Your GPS app must know where you are to guide you to your destination. Your social media apps want to know where you are to serve you with more relevant ads. You can fiddle with these settings as needed but you must be thorough.
Say you turn off location tracking on your phone but don’t do the same with your laptop. It defeats the purpose.
Let’s start with your device and account settings.
Your Google account is tied to various apps and services, making it a great place to start.
Location History
Location History saves your location wherever you take your smartphone. It’s off by default, but you may have turned it on and forgotten about it. No problem. Here’s how to turn it off:
- Sign into your account at myaccount.google.com or through the Google app.
- Go to Data & privacy > Location History.
- Click Turn off and confirm your selection.
- While you’re here, make sure Auto-delete is On.
Take an Uber? You’re giving up your right to sue
Here’s a story that might make you think twice before your next Uber ride.
Just say no: An Uber or Lyft driver might ask you to pay in cash so they can take home more money. They make as little as $9 an hour (paywall link) through the app, but a cash payment means no safety features like the emergency button, and you’ll get hit with cancellation fees.
How did the founders of Uber come up with the idea for the company? Was it … A.) From the memorable taxi ride in the 1954 classic film “On the Waterfront,” B.) Because one of the founder’s fathers drove a shuttle service van, C.) Based on a pair of Ivy League grads who moved to Silicon Valley, or D.) Sparked by waiting for a taxi in Paris on a snowy night?
100,000-plus paid rides
Per week, taken by auto taxi service Waymo One in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. It’s no surprise Uber and Lyft drivers say it’s hurting their earnings (paywall link). Waymo is also expanding to Atlanta and Austin early next year. I still won’t get in one.
💰 Your go-to rideshare app may not offer the best deals, depending on your location. Type your pickup and drop-off points into RideGuru to get a comparison of rideshare options in your area, including Uber, Lyft, Curb, Ola Cabs and DiDi Rider.
Smaller or regional options (like those names above you probably don’t recognize) can be a lot cheaper than Uber. Try Wingz, too, if you’re scheduling a ride to the airport in advance.
Speaking of, many airports add an expensive rideshare fee that gets passed along to you. I know someone who takes the airport shuttle to the nearest hotel or parking area instead of directly to the airport, and they catch an Uber from there to their destination instead.
Airline data breach puts podcaster Payne Lindsey in danger
True-crime podcaster Payne Lindsey, creator of Up and Vanished, was all set to fly to Nome for his latest investigation but bailed at the last minute. He didn’t tell anyone, yet somehow rumors started swirling on social media that he was there. Payne joins us to break it down, plus we’re talking Verizon outages, a couple blocked from suing Uber, and leaked MrBeast “founder mode” documents.
Uber-sneaky maneuver: John and Georgia McGinty sustained severe injuries in a 2022 Uber crash, but they can’t sue Uber. Why? Because they forfeited their right under the Seventh Amendment when their 12-year-old daughter ordered a pizza on Uber Eats. New Jersey’s Supreme Court upheld Uber’s arbitration clause, leaving the couple burdened with significant medical debt and no option for a jury trial.
3 weird things you can book online
Sure, you can get an Uber or a hotel stay, but there’s so much more you can rent. I have a list of some of the craziest ones.
The NFL may owe you a ton of money
Paid for the “Sunday Ticket” subscription service? A jury found that the NFL broke antitrust laws in how it handled some Sunday games. Uber’s “One Less Car” challenge, and no more green texts with your Android buddy. Also, a creepy AI ad from Toys ‘R’ Us!
🛩 Air taxis: As soon as 2025, we might see Joby Aviation’s ultra-quiet eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft in the skies. An eVTOL takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like a plane. Joby just received FAA authorization for a new software system, including an app you’ll be able to use to hail a flying taxi, just like an Uber. I’m not going to be first in line.
🍿 Movie deal: Parents, set up a new Uber for Teens account, and your kid can get a free ride to see “Inside Out 2” in theaters from June 14 to June 21. Open the app, tap Wallet > Promotions > Add Promo and enter INSIDEOUT2. Bonus: If you add your child to your Uber account between June 11 and June 17, you can also score two free movie tickets.
Google Search is changing
Web traffic is dying, and now Google is putting AI answers at the top of its search results. What does this mean for your favorite websites? Plus, Uber’s new shuttle service, Tesla drivers ditch self-driving mode, and Jeff Bezos’ email etiquette.
3 ways to save on an Uber
Ride fares can pile up fast, but with a few savvy moves, you can keep those costs down.
Get a better Uber price: Put in your destination and pick a car. Close the app, then wait five minutes and reopen the app. I usually get at least a 10% lower price doing this trick.
Bonus episode: The Kim Komando Show, April 20
One tech CEO thinks AI girlfriends are the next billion-dollar biz. Meanwhile, a tragedy: an 81-year-old man kills an Uber driver he mistook for a scammer. Plus, what your hotel card key reveals about you.
Why, Wendy’s, why? Just when you thought burger prices were sacred, Wendy’s says, “Hold my Frosty.” CEO Kirk Tanner says they’re spending $20 million on digital menus for “dynamic pricing.” You know it as surge pricing — like Uber, but for your burgers and fries. I’m surprised because Wendy’s doesn’t cut corners.
🛑 Thinking of driving for Uber? Pump the brakes. Dean Ceran, an Uber vet since 2016, grossed $100,000 in 2023 … and ended up with a measly $20,000. Most goes to taxes, maintenance and Uber’s hefty slice.
How a hacker made $2 million
Tommy DeVoss has exploited over 10,000 of companies — Yahoo, Uber and even the US government. After facing prison, he’s turned his life around.