No longer "green," the location-based social networking app Foursquare has matured with a redesigned, and recolored, user interface and restructured its features to stay competitive against the likes of Yelp and Google Maps.
Foursquare says its new app will launch soon, with its focus returned to personalizing local searches. And starting July 24, users will "check-in" via its app Swarm rather than using Foursquare.
Further distancing itself from check ins, where users "checked in" to incidate when they had arrived a a location, Foursquare unveiled a new logo. It's iconic checkmark logo has been replaced with an "F," which Foursquare said drew inspiration from map pins and superhero emblems.
While the green areas of Foursquare have been pinked out, it's logo change and UI updates were only meant to change the expectations of users returning to the app or discovering its alterations through the in-bound update. Foursquare said the update was the future of the "personalized local search" it's been talking about for quite some time.
"It's been built with the help of our amazing 50,000,000-strong community, with all your tips, check-ins, photos, and the smarts we layered on top of that," stated Foursquare in a blog entry. "Those of you have been with us since the beginning, your check-ins and history will continue to help shape your recommendations. For those of you giving us a try for the first time -- you still get all the benefits of a better way to explore any neighborhood, no check-ins required."
Foursquare said its core app will work seamlessly with its running mate Swarm and it said three-fourths of its user base had already picked up Swarm, an app which indicates a user's location and which is now the app that will let users "check in" as Fourquare moves to local search. With both apps installed, users of the core app will have access to a "Swarm" button that allow them to check into places.
The new Foursquare app faces stiff competition from Yelp, which has responded to Foursquare's 5,000 rate limit by upping its own to 25,000 daily calls. Raising the daily limit on userless calls to apps allows more freedom for developers to access an app's database.
Foursquare has been moving with conviction, setting aside the check-in function that made it popular and moving forward with a business plan it believes in. In it's July 23 blog post, Foursquare promised to deliver the "real" local searches consumers want.
"Why should two very different people get the same recommendations when they visit Paris -- or the same list of places when they're looking for a bar," said Foursquare. "We're about to change that. In a couple weeks, we're rolling out a brand new version of Foursquare that's all about you. Tell us what you like, and we'll be on the lookout for great places that match your tastes, wherever you are."
