There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the recent update to Foursquare, and most of it in the form of confusion. Foursquare’s long-term goal is to split its app into two: Swarm and Foursquare. They are ideally aiming to initiate user growth as well as become more competitive with Yelp. The new version of Foursquare has yet to be released; however with the hopes of easing their users into the transition, they are already selling Swarm in the app store.
A few features including ‘Stickers’, ‘Plans’, ‘Search History’, and ‘Neighborhood Sharing’ will also be available solely on Swarm. Stickers can be added when you check in to express feelings or actions. This is similar to the feature on Facebook where you update a status and add “Feeling like…” The stickers are meant to replace ‘badges,’ which will only be available on Foursquare. You can also unlock more stickers by checking in to more places. The ‘Plans’ feature will allow users to arrange through the app to meet up with friends; just another way to enhance the social aspect of Swarm. By publishing a post such as, ‘Dinner anyone?’ to nearby friends, you can see who is available and then settle on a convenient location to meet. The ‘Search History’ feature will give you the ability to track your past travels and plans. On your user profile you can look up a city, person, or place and locate it in your history. The final new addition is Neighborhood Sharing. This will alert your friends when you’re in their neighborhood, or will alert you when your friends are in your neighborhood.
The new version of Foursquare will be used for discovery, while Swarm will be used to check in and keep up with friends. Foursquare will help you find places nearby and Swarm will locate your friends nearby. Download Swarm today to stay in touch with your friends and watch out for the future release of the new and improved Foursquare!
