Audio Recording
We’re committed to building new technologies that help make your Uber experience safer so you can ride and drive with confidence.
If you feel uncomfortable during your ride, you can now record the audio of the trip within the app.
Just tap the blue shield to open your Safety Toolkit, then select Record Audio. The trip will be recorded in the app, and you can decide whether to share it with Uber after the ride has ended.
For everyone’s safety
Riders and drivers can record audio through their app to help encourage safe, comfortable interactions on trips. By giving users this control, Uber empowers them to monitor and report uncomfortable situations.
Designed to protect privacy
When a rider or driver uses this feature during a ride, the audio recording will be stored and encrypted on their phone so that no one—not even the person who initiated the recording—can access it. Uber can only access the recording if the user chooses to share it when opening an incident report. Unless this happens, Uber cannot access an audio recording.
Helping Uber investigate
Uber takes safety reports seriously. If a user opens a report with an audio file, the Safety team will review it. Uber will take appropriate action in accordance with its policies.
- Where is the Audio Recording feature available?
Audio Recording is currently available in more than a dozen countries throughout Africa, Asia, North America, and South America.
- Who can use Audio Recording?
Where available, riders and drivers can initiate a recording through the in-app Safety Toolkit using their own smartphone. The other party in the vehicle will not be notified at the time the recording begins, though notice has been given to all users that this capability is available, and riders will see a message in their app informing them that audio may be recorded on their trip.
Don't see Audio Recording in your Safety Toolkit? Make sure you have the latest version of the app.
- Why did Uber introduce this feature?
Uber is committed to building technologies that help make your Uber experience safer. The Audio Recording feature is intended to help encourage safe and comfortable interactions while on a trip, determine what happened, and identify the best response after a safety-related incident.
- How does Audio Recording work for a teen account?
We are piloting new safety features for teens and parents/guardians in select cities in Canada. Teen accounts are designed for families on the go with safety features built into the experience for parents/guardians, teenage riders, and drivers. Audio Recording is one of the safety features.
A teen can opt in to Audio Recording to automatically record every trip they take. The teen can opt out later, if desired, by removing the microphone permission for the Uber app. Once the teen chooses to automatically record their trips, they won’t get a pop-up at the end of every trip, but they can still submit the audio file to Uber with a safety report.
A teen account on Uber is not a traditional Uber account, and it will be under the supervision of their parent/guardian. The parent/guardian will be made aware of every trip request through teen accounts on Uber and may cancel their teen’s account at any time. Learn more about teen accounts.
- Can the driver or rider listen to the recording later?
No. To maintain the privacy of parties in the vehicle, the recorded content is encrypted. If there is a serious incident and the user shares the audio recording with Uber, we will consider providing the audio recording to the reporting party upon request on a case-by-case basis.
To learn more about our approach to privacy, please see our Privacy Overview.
- What if I don't want to be recorded?
Riders will see a message in their app informing them that the driver has opted in to Audio Recording and that audio may be recorded on their trip. Riders can choose to cancel the trip if they feel uncomfortable or don’t want to be recorded, then find a driver who has not opted in.
We take user privacy very seriously and limit any review of an audio recording to a dedicated Safety team at Uber. If we receive a recording that is not relevant to a safety incident, we will delete it.
- Does Uber still have access to the recording if I don’t send it?
No. If you don’t submit an incident report and don’t attach the recording, then Uber has no access to the recording.
- Is it still recording when I am on a call with someone else?
No. The phone will take over the microphone, and the recording will automatically stop. You’ll have to start recording again on your own after the call.
- Is Uber listening as the recording is happening?
No, Uber is not listening as the recording is happening. Uber also cannot listen to the recording unless the user includes it with an incident report. The recording is only stored on the user’s device unless it is submitted to Uber by the user.
- Will the driver/rider know if I'm recording?
No. Other parties in the vehicle will not be notified at the time of recording, but riders will be notified of the possibility of recording when they’re matched with a driver who has opted in to Audio Recording. In addition, we have informed drivers that riders have access to this feature.
- Will Uber provide the recording to anyone else?
In accordance with our law enforcement guidelines and third-party data request policies, and as may be required under applicable laws, Uber may provide the audio recording to third parties with appropriate legal process or in emergency situations, but only if the user has submitted it to Uber first.
- How are the audio files encrypted?
Recordings are encrypted using Advanced Encryption Standard with Galois/Counter Mode (AES-GCM) on the consumer’s device. Importantly, it is the user’s choice when to record audio and when to share it with Uber.
- How much storage does Audio Recording use?
This will vary based on your mobile phone, but in general, 5-7 minutes of recording takes 1 MB of space on your device.
- How much data does it use to share the recording with Uber?
If you do need to submit a safety report with a recording attached, we encourage you to be connected to wifi first. Otherwise, your normal data rates will apply.
- How do I share a recording with Uber?
Share at the moment: A pop-up window will appear at the end of the trip, and you can share with Uber on the spot. (Teen riders won’t get this pop-up.)
Share later: In the app menu, go to your trip history, tap on the trip in question, find the recording in your trip details, and share it with Uber.
Please note: You can only share audio with Uber after a trip ends. Unshared recordings are automatically deleted from your device after 7 days.
- What will happen after I share the recording with Uber?
A member of Uber’s Safety team will review the report and listen to the contents. Appropriate action will be taken in accordance with our policies.
- I accidentally deleted the recording. Is there any way to recover it?
No, the content is only stored on the device and is automatically deleted after 7 days. If you delete it or the retention period expires, neither you nor Uber will be able to recover it.
- When does recording start and stop?
You can start and stop recording at any time through the Safety Toolkit by tapping the blue shield in the app.
- What if I forget to stop the recording?
For riders, recording will automatically stop shortly after the trip ends. For drivers, once you start recording, this feature will keep recording audio for every trip until you go offline.
- [For Drivers only] What happens if I listen to music while recording audio?
If you are using an iPhone and are connected to CarPlay via a USB cable, playing music may interfere with your sound quality. For the best recording experience, consider not playing music while using the feature.
More about safety at Uber
Driver safety
Uber is committed to driver safety. Safety is built into the Driver app and driver experience, from insurance coverage to in-app support.
Rider safety
Millions of rides are requested every day. Every rider has access to safety features built into the app. And every ride has a Support team available if you need them.
User privacy
We take user privacy very seriously. Uber incorporates privacy by design into all our safety tools.
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