On Tuesday, Grab announced that it will be launching a new safety feature that enables both its driver-partners and passengers to record audio during rides.
The company will begin a trial of this feature in Singapore starting from March 21, and it will be gradually rolled out to users.
AudioProtect
The new safety feature is known as AudioProtect.
AudioProtect enables both passengers and driver-partner to record audio during their ride. This feature can be activated via their devices while on the Grab app, but only if both parties give their consent to the recording.
In order to use the new safety feature, both the passenger and driver-partner must enable it in their Account Safety Settings on the Grab app. This means that both parties need to activate the feature before the recording can begin.
Grab has made the new safety feature available on all of its rides, except for GrabShare and GrabHitch.
How does AudioProtect work?
Once both driver-partner and passenger activated the AudioProtect feature, the recording will automatically begin, and it will stop once the ride is completed.
If a passenger answers a call during the ride, the recording will be temporarily paused and will resume automatically once the call ends. However, the driver’s device may continue to record throughout the call.
AudioProtect involves encrypting and storing recorded audio files on the user’s device for a maximum of 5 days, after which they are automatically deleted, provided that no safety-related incident has been reported.
These files cannot be accessed by either the user or the driver. Additionally, it’s important to note that Grab will not upload or access these recordings under any circumstances, except in cases of safety-related incidents.
In the event of a safety-related incident being reported within the five-day period, the recorded audio file will be uploaded to Grab’s secure servers for further investigation.
How to activate AudioProtect on your phone
To activate AudioProtect on your Grab app, follow these steps: open your Grab app, go to Account, select Safety Settings, toggle the On button, and press Confirm to enable AudioProtect for all rides.
It’s important to note that enabling AudioProtect will require granting microphone permissions for it to collect audio recordings.
How to stop AudioProtect on my device?
To disable the AudioProtect feature and stop all ride recordings, follow these steps:
- Open your Grab app and go to Account.
- Select Safety settings and toggle Off.
- Tap on Confirm to disable AudioProtect. This will disable the feature for all rides unless you decide to re-enable it in the future.
The new feature comes shortly after the introduction of the improved GrabShare BETA, and other interface upgrades.
What do you think of the AudioProtect feature? Leave a comment
