Lyft update will finally let you change your location after you request a ride

Lyft is updating its app with a feature that will make pickups a lot easier.

The ridesharing app will now allow riders to move their pickup pins after a ride has been requested. Previously, pins were locked in place following a ride request.

The update, rolling out to the Lyft app now, allows riders to shift their pin within a one-block radius even after their driver is on the way. Up until now, riders had to call their driver if they needed to move to a different pickup location or if the app's GPS dropped the pin in the wrong spot.

You can adjust your pin within the app by tapping on your pin or address. The driver will automatically be notified about the change in their app as well.

As basic as it is, figuring out rider's exact location and where they need to be picked up is actually a significant technical challenge, says Lyft's Director of Product, Kevin Fan.

"There's a lot of challenges with GPS," Fan tells Mashable. "If you're someplace where there's a lot of skyscrapers, it's really hard to get a lock on the GPS signal. If you're indoors when you're requesting, the GPS signal has to go through all this brick to get to the satellite."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

To address this, Lyft has also been working on a couple of improvements around how its app handles specific locations. The company has been building out a venue database, which allows people to specify exact locations at places like airports, where a pickup area may have numbered doors. It also allows the app to work with specific events and venues to alert riders about dedicated pickup and drop-off areas.

Fan says Lyft has also been working to improve the app's ability to find riders' location even when the GPS signal is bad. The app learns from your prior habits to pinpoint where you like to be picked up -- if you frequently go to the same corner or alley, for instance -- and will automatically match the pin to that spot. The app also learns from the combined habits of all users to detect where the best pickup and drop-off areas are at popular locations like train stations and stadiums.

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