I've been thinking about building a small Android utility app and wanted to validate whether this solves a real problem or if I'm missing something.
Current workflow for me is usually:
Search a place in Google Maps.
Decide I want to take a cab.
Exit Maps.
Open Uber/Ola/Rapido.
Search for the exact same destination again.
Finally book the ride.
My idea is a lightweight app that acts as a bridge between Google Maps and ride-hailing apps.
The flow would be:
Google Maps → Share/Open With → RideBridge → Choose Uber/Ola/Rapido → Ride app opens with the destination (and pickup, if supported) already filled in.
The app wouldn't handle bookings or payments. It would simply:
Parse the Google Maps link/location.
Detect installed ride apps.
Use official deep links/APIs (where supported).
Open the selected ride app with as much information prefilled as officially possible.
A few questions:
Is this something you would actually use?
Does Google Maps or any ride-hailing app already provide this workflow that I may have missed?
Are there any Android limitations or provider restrictions I should know about?
If you've built something similar, what were the biggest technical challenges?
What additional features would make this utility genuinely useful while keeping it simple?
I'm trying to keep it as a lightweight "do one thing well" utility rather than another ride-booking app. I'd appreciate any feedback before I start building it.