Foursquare reconsiders its future, splits into two apps
In a huge strategic gamble, Foursquare Labs Inc. is splitting its primary product into two separate apps as it prepares to go after Yelp and Google in the local search game.
It's launching an entirely new app called Swarm, which will host the classic features best associated with the five-year old SoHo company - check ins, sharing your general location and making plans with nearby friends.
Swarm will stand side by side with the original Foursquare app, which is in line for a big upgrade in about a month. The new version will personalize search recommendations based on your tastes and friend suggestions.
'Fundamentally, local search is broken - providing one-size-fits-all results regardless of a person's interests or places they've been before and we're aiming to fix that,' spokesman Brendan Lewis said. 'We're not ready to provide full details on that right now, but we'll have more to talk about shortly.'
In a blog post Thursday morning, the company explained its official reasoning behind Swarm. Users turn to Foursquare for two things: searching for restaurants or bars, and keeping up with friends and comparing notes. But we almost never do both at the same time - 95 percent of all cases are one or the other, according to a Verge magazine article.
'Our company has always been about helping you keep up and meet up with their friends, and discover great places,' Foursquare's blog says. 'Our two new, unbundled apps are designed to do that for everyone. Swarm is for people who want the fastest and easiest way to connect with their friends. Foursquare is for explorers who want to know about the best spots, and to share what they've found with others.'
Ben Fischer covers local and regional business in greater New York City.
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