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Uber is using Foursquare location data to help pick you up
If you've used ridesharing often enough, you've probably run into problems getting the driver to pick you up at just the right spot. Ever play a frantic game of phone tag as the driver circles the block looking for you? Mercifully, that might not be much of an issue in the near future. Uber is partnering with Foursquare to use the location-based service's data to improve the accuracy of pickups and dropoffs. It'll tweak Foursquare's point-of-interest info to show drivers where to go when you request a ride or a bite to eat. It may indicate where the front entrance is, for example, or tell UberEats drivers to stop near the side door.
Foursquare's new bot texts food suggestions before you're hungry
Foursquare is more than a friendly food finder and gentrification-tracking app -- the company is now in the bot business with its latest tool, Marsbot. The bot analyzes users' locations and past preferences to make proactive recommendations via text on where to eat or grab a drink next. Marsbot isn't a chatbot, meaning users won't ask it for suggestions; instead (and ideally), Marsbot will predict when you're ready to try something new and nudge you toward places you should enjoy.
You can predict city gentrification through check-ins and tweets
Do you dread the thought of gentrification jacking up real estate prices (and stifling culture) in your neighborhood? In the future, you might only need to keep tabs on social networks to know when your part of town is changing -- British researchers have learned that Foursquare check-ins and Twitter posts can help predict gentrification. If many people start visiting unfamiliar locations in materially-deprived neighborhoods (say, trendy new restaurants) with their friends, that's usually a good sign that these areas will be gentrified before long. Accordingly, places that are dominated by locals and regulars tend to resist that shift, no matter the income levels.
Swarm turns your check-in history into a detailed lifelog
By bringing back mayorships, leaderboards and other features that make every day a new level in one big game, Swarm is now more or less what Foursquare once was. But with the release of Swarm 4.0 today, the check-in app is expanding further beyond the immediate gratification of coins and titles. The update places a greater emphasis on the lifelogging aspects of Swarm, using check-in data to build a richer history of what you and your friends have been up to. This starts with a redesigned profile tab highlighting check-ins, streaks and any photos posted while out and about.
Foursquare wants you to order food from its phone app
Foursquare doesn't just want to help you find nearby restaurants these days... it wants to bring the food to you. It's partnering with Delivery.com to let you order food, groceries and even alcohol through its mobile app. It's technically kicking you over to Delivery.com's app to finish the order, but that's almost beside the point -- you can have that new Indian restaurant deliver some food rather than remind yourself to check it out later.
Foursquare helps you ask friends for travel advice
It's a familiar problem: you're heading to an unfamiliar city and looking for things to do, but you'd rather not ask each and every friend in the area for advice. What do you turn to? Foursquare has an answer: it just launched Trip Tips. The site lets you give friends a custom link where they can suggest places to go based on where you're traveling and your own notes. Any locations they offer will go into a Foursquare list that you can use to plan your itinerary, whether it's on the web or in mobile apps. Your friends can even save the list for themselves, in case there's something they hadn't already tried.
Beer tracker Untappd goes 'to the next level'
Beer fans are probably already familiar with Untappd, an app (Google Play, iTunes, Windows Phone Store) that piggybacks on Foursquare's check-in system. Instead of just tracking where you go, it keeps a database of what you drink, what your friends drink, and what's on tap at pretty much any bar. Until now its creators have been working on it only part-time, but announced recently that through a "strategic merger" with fellow alcohol startup Next Glass, they'll be able to work on it full-time. Next Glass has an app that also keeps track of what you've been drinking, manages ratings and can recommend something else to try. Still, the founders say this won't change things much, simply promising more updates, badges and cool features faster.
Foursquare's new CEO to shift company focus beyond consumers
Foursquare gambled big two years ago when it split its app in two. Unfortunately, that hasn't worked out so well. Despite reinstating universal mayorships and leaderboards into Swarm (it's spin-off check-in app), the company has yet to regain much of the glory of its early days. Now it appears the company might be changing directions to seek profits elsewhere. Today, Foursquare announced that Jeff Glueck (its COO for the past year and a half) would be its new CEO, while founder Dennis Crowley would step into an executive chairman role. And with this news comes another one: it looks like Foursquare is about to shift much of its focus away from consumers and toward the enterprise.
Foursquare cards are popping up in Google Now, even without the app
Google Now has been serving up cards with info from your apps for a while. According to a report in VentureBeat, you might start seeing cards from apps you don't have installed -- starting with Foursquare. Cards with tips from the app were spotted alongside Google's own regular location-based recommendations. Foursquare still isn't listed on Google's partner page, so likely these cards are part of a limited trial, and the search giant isn't confirming anything when asked.
Foursquare dusts off its leaderboards for Swarm
Foursquare has clearly been trying to bring back the sparkle it lost when it split into two. After reviving global mayorships in hopes of enticing old users to start checking in again, it's now reinstating the old app's leaderboards. Swarm version 3.0 incorporates a revamped leaderboard, which pits you against friends and ranks you all based on the number of coins you have. Each check in earns you coins, but the amount varies per location -- some could give you just a coin or two, while other places could add a dozen to your total -- and you get bonuses for mayorships and check-in streaks. The company says those coins might have more uses in the future, but you can think of them as "points" for now. By the way, the leaderboard resets every week, so everyone has a chance to be number one... though we guess that only matters if you have friends who still use Swarm.
Foursquare and Swarm: Breaking up is never easy
More than a year ago, Foursquare decided to split its app in two. The main app was now focused on location discovery, while Swarm was created to handle the social check-in side of things. The reason? To streamline the two seemingly disparate functions so that each feature could flourish without encumbering the other. That sounds like a good idea in theory, but check-ins and mayorships were so integral to Foursquare's identity that removing them seemed like a bad move. Recently, Foursquare decided to re-integrate global mayorships into Swarm due to user demand. But that might not be enough to win back its once-loyal user base.
Swarm revives Foursquare's mayorships, restoring your self-worth
If you miss the early days of Foursquare, when checking into places was still novel and being mayor of your favorite hangout made you feel like royalty, get ready for a blast from the past. Foursquare just announced that it's brought back mayorships to its spinoff check-in app Swarm (the core Foursquare app is now devoted to location discovery), just as the company promised it would last month. Surprisingly, Foursquare admitted that competing for mayor crown stickers on Swarm, which could be added to your check-ins, "wasn't as much fun" as nabbing a lofty title. You can earn a mayorship by checking into a location more times in the past 30 days than anyone else -- pretty much like how it worked before. You won't be getting your old titles back instantly (though Foursquare is turning your old badges into stickers), but the company says it'll count check-ins from the past month.
Use Foursquare to hail your next Uber ride
Since it gave check-ins the boot, the main Foursquare app became a directory of restaurants, coffee shops, retail locations and more. Thanks to a partnership with Button, though, the mobile software is more useful. After you find a new spot for dinner, you'll be able to book a ride with Uber from inside the app. Once you select the option, you're given the choice of car and the wait time for each. If you're not familiar with Button, the company that links apps together, leveraging tools and services to enhance the experience. The new feature is already live in the Foursquare app, so if you fancy it, you can give it try right now.
Foursquare is bringing mayorships back for Swarm
When Foursquare split its app into two separate services, Swarm and Foursquare, some users were unhappy that their favorite gamification elements had been nuked. If you were checking in with Swarm, for instance, it was no longer possible to unlock badges and compete for mayorships with the entire community. Well, it seems Dennis Crowley's startup is finally relenting and giving the people what they want. The company says global mayorships with be added to Swarm "soon" and that henceforth, all check-ins will count towards them. While badges are still noticeably absent, Foursquare is rolling out 100 new stickers which users can add to their check-ins, photos and messages. Will it be enough to win back those that checked out after the Swarm-Foursquare split? Maybe not, but at least the company has recognised what made Foursquare such a hit in the first place.
Facebook lets you choose what to share with 3rd party apps
For ages, whenever you've wanted to use your Facebook credentials to log into a third party app like Foursquare or Candy Crush, you've had to give the app access to any and all data that FB has on you. There's simply been no way of choosing what information you can share--until now. Facebook announced last year that it would be implementing a new API this spring which allows the user, not the developer, to decide what sorts of private information each app is privy to. Well, that year is up and now whenever you "Log In Using Facebook," you'll be redirected to a landing page where you can select which individual data sets you want to share. Only want to tell Groupme your birthday and location? Done. Don't want to give Untappd access to your contacts? Easy.
Foursquare builds a new ad business on your check-ins
Remember that time you battled a random stranger become the "mayor" of your local coffee shop on Foursquare? Don't worry if you don't, because Foursquare remembers and now it's going to use that data as part of Pinpoint, its new advertising solution. The platform will serve you ads across multiple apps, exchanges and publishers based on where you've been. According to Foursquare, "the places you go are the best indicator of who you are." It's like browser cookies but in the real world. It's also a bit like someone is following you around town to serve ads. In addition to where you've been, the company's Place Attribution Report helps brands determine if their ads succeed in sending you to real-world locations. So when launch partner Wild Turkey Bourbon serves you an ad about its booze and you check into a bar a few days later, everyone will be ecstatic that the system works. Well, everyone but you.
Twitter taps Foursquare for location-based features
Twitter wants to know where you are. The social media company has tied up with Foursquare so your tweets can carry your precise location. Twitter was already picking up on your whereabouts, but its in-house tagging ability has been restricted to data points from GPS, wireless networks and cellular tower signals. The update allows Twitter to tap in to Foursquare's massive location database so you will be able to pinpoint your exact spot in a tweet.
Foursquare can recommend places even if you don't sign in
A new Foursquare update completely eliminates the need to make an account, letting anyone use it to find a decent place to eat or somewhere to spend time without having to log in or even to create an account. And you know what? It makes perfect sense, since Swarm has taken over its check-in capabilities anyway. According to Foursquare product manager Jonathan Crowley, the only reason it took time to nix that requirement is because it wasn't easy changing the app's framework. If you think back to the time you've registered, you'll recall that signing up for Foursquare is quite tedious: it doesn't only ask you to choose "tastes" (types of food and places) you like, it also wants you to link your other social media accounts. Now, both the iOS and Android app can just recommend establishments based on location, making them more akin to local directory services such as Yelp. The good news is that you can still add your preferences (without having to log in) later on if you want more personalized results.
Facebook's new tips for Places puts it in competition with Foursquare
If you've ever found yourself in a new restaurant or a trendy tourist spot, you might've looked up Yelp or Foursquare -- or, heaven forbid, used Google -- on your phone to find out where the best view is or whether or not you should order the shrimp. Now, you might not need to, as long as you have Facebook installed. That's because the company has just introduced something called "Place Tips," which, when enabled, essentially pops up relevant content about your location as long as you're there. Specifically, it'll show posts and photos about the place from your friends if they've also visited it. The feature sounds very similar to what Foursquare already does with its own Tips, but with a much more Facebook-centric bent.
Twitter may tap Foursquare to make location more relevant in tweets
Twitter's been focused quite a bit on mainstream appeal over the past few years -- often to the point of ignoring aspects of its platform that sorely need some updating. Take the way Twitter handles location: You can manually add where you're tweeting from, but that data doesn't yet serve much of a purpose. That could all change next year, though. Twitter is reportedly planning to take advantage of Foursquare's treasure trove of location data to add some much-needed context to your posts, according to Business Insider. For example, when you tweet about visiting a new city or restaurant, you could automatically get some recommendations of other places to visit, or some tips on what's hot on the menu. And yes, you may even get to check in right from Twitter.
