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One-time Foursquare competitor Gowalla is coming back as an AR app
Provided the pandemic cooperates, the hope is to relaunch the app in the first half of 2021 in select cities.
Foursquare test app whispers restaurant suggestions through your earbuds
Foursquare is launching a Marsbot for AirPods suggestion that proactively whispers place suggestions through your earbuds.
Foursquare's unusual pitch: The ethical data company
It seems counter-intuitive that, in the thick of a backlash against Big Tech's data privacy abuses, Dennis Crowley is pitching location tracking technology at South By Southwest. Foursquare, which he co-founded, recently announced Hypertrending. It's an in-app feature that shows a real-time heat map of where everyone on Foursquare (and the apps that use its technology) are hanging out in Austin. The data is anonymized and aggregated so you don't see how many people are in a particular bar or park.
Swarm's latest update brings it closer to its Foursquare roots
The line between the Swarm and Foursquare City Guide apps just blurred a little more. Foursquare has released Swarm 6.0 for Android and iOS, and its tentpole features will feel familiar if you're more used to browsing places than checking in. Most notably, you now have a Saved Places section that shows all the locations you've bookmarked on top of a "completely rebuilt" map. If you're new to the concept, it's effectively Pinterest for foodies and tourists -- you can browse your friends' lists (when they grant permission), and your own list will sync with the main Foursquare app.
AccuWeather will give you places to go based on the weather
Place recommendations don't tend to take the weather into account. You don't really want to visit the park when it's pouring outside, do you? AccuWeather certainly doesn't think so -- it's partnering with Foursquare on a "hyper-local" recommendation system in MinuteCast that takes the conditions into account when pointing you to new destinations. It'll suggest the beach or the pool on a hot day, or point you to a nearby coffee shop if you want shelter from the rain.
Foursquare puts check-in data to greater use in apps like Snapchat
Foursquare might not be as big as it was in its heyday, but it has a clever strategy for remaining important: it's making itself indispensable to the apps you use every day. On top of its recent Tinder Places deal, it's becoming the main point-of-interest provider for Mapbox, whose location info powers apps like Snapchat, Instacart and Lonely Planet. Even if you've never touched Foursquare or Swarm, you'll likely be using some of their data when you swing by a restaurant or hotel.
Tinder Places matches you with people from your favorite hangouts
The science involved in making a match on Tinder is rudimentary at best: you can narrow your pool of potential baes by age and distance, and after that you're largely on your own, relying on carefully selected photographs and vague bios that reveal how your potential match "enjoys having fun", like every other human in the world. There's not a lot to work with before you get to the chatting stage. So Tinder is upping the ante with a new location-based feature, narrowing your prospects to those you cross paths with at your favourite bars, coffee shops and other hangouts.
Tumblr and Etsy among those posting ‘red alerts’ for net neutrality
Fight for the Future has announced another day of action aimed at encouraging support of a Congressional vote to overturn the FCC's removal of net neutrality protections. In December, the FCC voted to overturn Obama-era net neutrality protections, a decision that was published in the Federal Register on February 22nd. The Senate has 60 days from that date to overturn the decision, as per the Congressional Review Act, and Democrats are planning to take the procedural step to force such a vote on May 9th. Between May 9th and the vote, BattleForTheNet.com is calling for websites to "go red" as part of its Red Alert for Net Neutrality Campaign.
Six more tech companies join fight to save net neutrality
Opposition to the FCC's repeal of net neutrality grew this week, as six more tech companies filed suit against it. Etsy, Kickstarter, Foursquare, Shutterstock, Automattic and Expa petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit as part of a group called the Coalition for Internet Openness. The group's goal is to stop the FCC from overturning the rules that ensure a free and open internet.
Tech CEOs sign letter urging Trump to keep immigrant protections
Hundreds of CEOs have signed an open letter urging President Trump not to dissolve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Started in 2012 under the Obama administration, DACA allows undocumented immigrants who arrived to the US before they were 16 years old to obtain work permits and protection from deportation. Those with DACA permits have to renew them every two years and nearly 800,000 immigrants have benefited from the program.
Swarm redesign shows just how much it knows about you
Foursquare's Swarm check-in app has catered to lifeloggers before, but never quite like this. The location-centric company is launching Swarm 5.0 for iOS (Android is coming in a few weeks) with your trip history as its focus. The check-in map is now at the very heart of the app, making it easy to see where you've been. You can share it, too, if you want to keep your friends up to date. There's also a revamped profile that gives you a better view of your many achievements, whether it's your ongoing check-in streaks or the number of unique places you've visited. You can even see places you have yet to mark on your 'bucket list.' It's a bit disconcerting to realize how much info you've volunteered to Swarm, but this is a big help if you're trying to remember the last time you visited a given restaurant.
Foursquare can log your shopping trip in increasingly scary detail
Foursquare may have fallen off your radar, but it's far from dead -- rather, it has morphed into a business analytics juggernaut, selling its location data and API to businesses like Capital One, Twitter and Microsoft. Now, it's pulling those services into one place with Foursquare Analytics, a Google Analytics-style dashboard that measures foot traffic instead of browsing data. It has launched the service with beta partners Taco Bell, TGI Fridays, H&M, Lowe's and Equinox Fitness.
Recommended Reading: How Foursquare managed to survive
The Not-So-Surprising Survival of Foursquare Aaron Gell, The New Yorker When Foursquare split its app in two with a second dedicated to check-ins, the move was questionable to say the least. The company eventually brought its popular mayorships back to Swarm and has largely held on to users as a directory for food and more inside the namesake app. The New Yorker takes a look at how the company has been able to survive largely due to its very active users and a trove of data.
Foursquare lets other apps use its core location tech
Foursquare has been willing to offer its place data to outside partners, but it has long kept its location awareness tech, Pilgrim, close to the vest. Now, though, it's opening things up: the company has released a developer kit for Pilgrim, letting other apps take advantage of Foursquare's positional wizardry. The tools help apps determine where you are down to the building level (without even opening the app), and let them act accordingly. A fitness app could plan an exercise routine based on where you ate, for instance, while a location-based game could adapt its experience around your neighborhood or the local store.
Google brings Foursquare-like favorite lists to Maps
You can now create Spotify-like "playlists" of your favorite local spots on Google Maps that your friends can share and follow. The feature, which Google recently rolled out to Local Guide users, lets you create "Favorites," "Starred Places," "Want to Go" and your own custom lists. The idea is to "start flexing your local knowledge muscles," Google said, and benefit from the inside info of other folks by following their lists.
Facebook won't flag your friends on a map anymore
Facebook is making some significant changes to its Nearby Friends feature that lets you see where pals are, Techcrunch has noticed. Most significantly, it has eliminated the precise tracking feature that tells you exactly where friends are by pinpointing them on a map. Now, you can only see them in a list along with an approximate distance away. While the original feature made it easy to check someone's progress or tell you when they arrive, for instance, it's also a bit of a privacy nightmare if you forget to turn it off.
Uber's redesigned app makes it faster to hail a ride
The Uber app is a mess. As the company has expanded its business, it's been ham-fisting new features into an already bursting-at-the-seams UI. Fortunately, the company is aware of the bloat and revealed today a redesigned app that will be rolling out to customers over the coming weeks.
Foursquare's revamped city guide app puts search at its center
Foursquare's namesake app is all about finding things to do around town, but it hasn't really put the strongest focus on the finding part -- it's usually focused on suggestions. Well, the company is fixing that today. The new Foursquare 10 for Android and iOS has a redesigned home screen that puts search at its heart. On top of a more prominent search box, you'll also get big quick access buttons that help you find common activities, such as dinner or nightclubs. And if you're on iOS 10, you'll get rich notifications that include photos and quick actions.
Zagat's new iPhone app is like the best of Yelp and Foursquare
After buying the restaurant review company Zagat back in 2011, Google helped to modernize it with a new website, mobile apps and integration within Google Maps. Today, Zagat is getting its biggest upgrade yet on the iPhone, and it's good enough to make it your primary solution for discovering new places to eat. The app is now smart enough to recommend restaurants based on your location, as well as the time of day. That location awareness is a big part of what makes Foursquare's recommendations useful, and it's nice to see it finally show up in Zagat (albeit surprisingly late).
Swarm brings back Foursquare's real-world perks
Foursquare is continuing its quest to bring back all the things you liked from its old check-in app. Swarm now offers real-life perks depending on where and how often you check in. You'll get a discount if you swing by certain stores, for instance, or enter to win a prize if you complete a challenge across multiple shops. Only some locations will have these benefits, but Foursquare is promising "hundreds" of prizes ranging from cruises to drones to VIP concert tickets.
