Earlier this month, the popular location-based social network Foursquare completely redesigned and restructured their mobile app. Foursquare allows users to keep up with friends, discover what’s nearby, and save money through unlocking offers and rewards. Though the previous app grew the service to 20 million users, many found the app to be cluttered and hard to navigate. The updated app is streamlined, featuring Facebook-like timelines and a friendly interface with three main sections:
Friends
Very similar to the timeline on Facebook’s popular mobile app, the Friends tab on Foursquare features a running list of friend’s most recent activity. The feed includes a variety of information including photos, tips, lists, and places your friends have recently saved. The new app also includes the ability to easily like or comment on friend’s activity- also similar to Facebook.
Explore
The bulk of Foursquare lives under the Explore tab, where users can find places they might like to visit near their current location, where their friends are located, and where they can save money through offers or rewards. The tab also offers a local search similar to Yelp, where users can explore popular categories (like ‘coffee’ or ‘specials’) or look for something specific (like ‘free wi-fi’).
Profile
The profile section allows users to easily access their Foursquare history. Past check ins are aggregated enabling users to easily revisit previous locations to check out what’s new, read a menu, get directions, or give the location a call. Personal settings are also found in this section, as well as earned badges, user statistics, past tips, lists, and friends.
Throughout the entire experience, users can check in and share their current location and experiences with friends by simply clicking the check in button fixed at the top of the app. The updated app is currently available for the iPhone and Android devices and launched for Blackberry late last week. Visit the Foursquare blog to learn more and your smartphone’s app store to download the new app and try it yourself.