Zipcar Android app goes out of beta

Wanna take a quick drive somewhere even if you don’t have a car?

Zipcar, the “world’s leading car sharing network,” is making that process a bit easier. The company announced today that its Android app will be losing the “public beta” tag, meaning it now runs a bit faster, more smoothly, and adds a few new enhancements.

Zipcar is most popular in areas like New York City and college campuses, where there’s a high volume of people who don’t own a car. Unlike traditional car rental companies, Zipcar caters to customers who just need a set of wheels for the day, or even just a matter of hours. Users must have a Zipcar account, which has a membership fee, but it makes the actual process of going to a Zipcar location and taking a vehicle totally hassle-free.

The Android app incorporates location-based features to show users where the nearest Zipcar location is. From there, users can set up a reservation, or amend existing reservations.

But perhaps the coolest part is that the app also acts as a virtual remote key entry remote. So users can open the app to lock and unlock the car, or even honk the horn to more easily locate it. These features, which were introduced in the beta app, have been carried over to the final version.

All of these features are also available in the iPhone version of the app, which has already been released in a final, stable condition.

“Our members are rapidly transitioning from traditional to mobile devices.  With this official release of our Android App, we’re responding to the needs of our members.  This launch also reflects a cornerstone of the Zipcar brand — our unrelenting commitment to providing the best member experience. The feedback from our members during the beta test was instrumental in making this first version powerful, easy and fun,” said Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith in a statement.