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Facebook Inc. announced on Wednesday that it has collaborated with Uber to help the Facebook users to request a ride using their messenger app, without the need to download the app and step out of the conversation. Uber is the first company to partner with the technology giant on messenger service, which is currently in its testing phase, said Facebook in their blog post. The service will be made available select users in areas where Uber has operations in the United States, said Facebook, reported NDTV.

You can send an address to your friend in Messenger, he/she can initiate a box that says, "request a Ride" by simply tapping on it. There will also be a car button inside the app that the users can use to request for a ride. The users do not have to leave the app throughout the booking process. The new users will also be able to signup for the Uber service from the messenger itself. To promote this option, Uber is offering first ride free for up to $20, as reported by CNET.

This move is Facebook's initiative to boost their messenger service beyond its instant messaging purpose. Competitors such as China's WeChat have already made their messenger apps into impactful tools of the internet by inserting valuable features such as shopping, games and payments. More than 700 million people use their messenger service at least once every month. However, Facebook is considering ways to make their app so useful that the people just keep coming back. To make that possible, Facebook is already partnering with entertainment apps such as Giphy to include the payment feature and M Concierge service to contend with Apple's Siri and Google Now. Facebook has been working feverishly to increase its messenger service's appeal making it compulsory for the users to install a separate app for them to send and receive Facebook messages, says Reuters.