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The under-fire taxi app Uber is to be automatically installed onto Android phones sold by network operator Sprint.

New customers that join the US carrier this month will also get $20 (£13) of free credit to use for their first journey as part of the deal.

It is the latest move by the San Francisco-based firm to attract customers, and counteract a number of negative headlines that have dogged the app in recent months.

Sprint customers will now have taxi app Uber automatically installed onto their Android devices. Customers who join the US-based carrier this month will also get $20 (£13) of free credit to use for their first journey as part of the deal with the San Francisco-based app

'We believe having access to safe, reliable and affordable transportation via your mobile phone is important,' the company said in a statement.

'That's why we are now offering Uber pre-loaded on the home screen of most of our new Android devices.'

Any difference in fares over $20 (£13) are paid for by the user, and any unused fare under this amount is forfeited.

This is not the first time Uber has used high-profile partnerships with big tech firms to push its service - earlier in the year Uber announced a similar partnership with mobile carrier AT&T. 

Users can also order an Uber driver from within Google Maps app.

Last month, Uber partnered with Spotify so customers can listen to their own music when they call a car.

When they get into the car, they select a special Uber playlist, or one of their own, and have it play through the car's speakers - if the driver has opted in.

Uber is a taxi service app that has gained global popularity due to its ease of use. 

For example, it lets users track cars on a map, and rate drivers straight from the app.

The company has enjoyed global success since its launch in San Francisco in 2009, having expanded its service to 140 US cities and 45 countries worldwide.

And it said last week it was valued at £25.5billion ($40 billion), a double in market value in six months. 

But the service has recently attracted unwanted headlines, after being banned from Spain and India after a reported rape by one of its drivers in Delhi, and accusations it has been side-stepping regulations.

Last month, one of its executives allegedly used the app's 'God mode' to track the location of a Buzzfeed journalist.  

Sprint has not yet announced which phones will come with Uber embedded into the home screen.

Phone manufacturers and network operators have been criticised in the past for adding 'bloatware' to devices. 

This is not the first time Uber has used high-profile partnerships with big tech firms to push its service - earlier in the year Uber announced a similar partnership with mobile carrier AT&T. Last month, Uber also partnered with Spotify so customers can listen to their own music when they call a car (pictured)

Samsung, in particular, came under fire earlier this year for preloading its handsets with its own apps that can leave customers with just half the amount of advertised storage on flagship models.

Researchers found that the so-called 'bloatware' is rarely used by consumers, with many spending just seconds on the apps before deciding to use downloaded apps instead.

Samsung supplies everything from chat to password apps, some pre-installed with the device and the remaining accessible via Google Play and Samsung App stores.

Users who don't want the Uber app will be able to remove it from their device.