Foursquare Doesn't Want to Be Just 'That Check-In App' Anymore
Looking to take on sites like Yelp and Facebook, the location-based social networking service is revamping its old app and adding a new app called Swarm.
By Nina Zipkin •
If you're the "mayor" of your favorite coffee shop on Foursquare, you may not be able to hold on to that title for much longer. At least not on Foursquare's main app.
The location-based social networking service announced this week that it is revamping its flagship app while spinning off its defining "check in" feature into a new app called Swarm.
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Ostensibly looking to take on sites like Yelp, the Foursquare app is getting an update with an emphasis on discovery and tailored, personalized search. The company said the revamp was inspired the idea that finding new places should be "informed by the people you trust…The opinions of actual experts should matter, not just strangers."
Later this summer, Swarm will be released to allow users to see which of their friends are out and about, without having to text or tweet them (this is where the "check-in" will live). The app echoes Facebook's Nearby Friends feature, announced last month.
