Request an Uber...From Your Starbucks App?

Requesting an Uber car no longer necessarily means having to open the Uber app.

Nearly a dozen companies - including United Airlines and Starbucks - have announced they are updating their mobile apps with a button that lets you hail an Uber ride. The moves come as San Francisco-based Uber on Wednesday released a set of tools to let developers incorporate Uber into their apps.

Other apps getting a new Uber button include: Expensify, Hinge, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Momento, OpenTable, Tempo Smart Calendar, Time Out, TripAdvisor, and TripCase, Uber said. This means you can, for instance, make a restaurant reservation with OpenTable and also request an Uber car, so the driver will already know where you're headed.

Meanwhile, the updated United Airlines mobile app now shows ETAs of the closest drivers and fare estimates, so you can call up a car while you're waiting for your luggage and bypass the long taxi line. And if you're booking a room through the Hyatt Hotels & Resorts app, you can now request a ride to your hotel right from the reservation screen.

The new integrations come after Google back in May incorporated Uber into its Maps app. If you have the Uber app installed on your phone, the directions tab, which shows transit and walking options, will also tell you how long you'd have to wait for an Uber car in some cities.

Uber also this week began testing a new service in the Washington, D.C. area dubbed Corner Store that lets users request more than 100 common items like allergy medicine, diapers, toothpaste right through the app. On the business front, Uber on Tuesday announced it has hired former Obama adviser David Plouffe to head up all global policy and political activities for the company.