Show and tell: Foursquare reworks iOS app with design, function
The 4-year-old company attempts to win over the masses one tip at a time.
The best Foursquare tips on what to eat, see, or do nearby are headed directly to an iPhone near you thanks to a just-released version of the place-centric social network's iOS application.
The new application, released Thursday, includes the suggestions in the form of user-created Foursquare tips that are automatically delivered via push notifications whenever you go somewhere new. Dubbed "real-time recommendations," this come-to-you feature made its debut on Android earlier this year, arrived in preview stage on the iPhone in October, and is now available to all on iOS.
Along with the informative nudges, Foursquare has dressed up its iOS application with a fresh coat of paint, additional function, and speedier performance. At the top of the app, users can now swipe to browse through suggested tips and specials, for instance. People, photos, and actions such as liking are also emphasized over text in the update.
Altogether, the changes make for a faster, prettier, and smarter Foursquare, though it's unclear whether they'll convince the masses to check out the application. With 40 million users, 4-year-old Foursquare has a lot of work to do if it wants to earn a place back atop the hierarchy of social applications. The company has, in the past year, de-emphasized its initial claim to fame -- the check-in -- in favor of a purpose more people can understand: local search.