If you’ve not seen it, Foursquare is a location-based app that takes the risk out of exploring new places. It relies on word of mouth, arguably the most potent and persuasive force in a market where anyone can make any claim about their services.
Users check in via Foursquare at local businesses and venues. It means they can give feedback on the merchants, the service, the pricing, the quality or the conveniences. It’s great for cautious consumers, and it allows people to see where others have gone before, guiding real-world experience by letting explorers avoid bad experiences – or head to venues that are better suited to their needs.
Foursquare is also incredibly helpful to business owners by offering tools merchants and brands can use to attract, engage and retain customers. So with such powerful dual functionality (to both users and businesses) one has to wonder what’s fueling the rumors that it’s losing steam?
Predictions based on the app tracking site App Annie are the main source. With many experts saying that despite Foursquare’s rebranding attempt, there is still a marked decline in uptake.
Venture Beat says, “Foursquare is back where it started. Post-relaunch, the app peaked at #385 overall in the U.S. App Store – #448 in the Google Play store — and has since fallen to pre-launch levels: #1214 overall in the U.S. on iOS and out of the top 500 on Android. Among U.S. travel apps, Foursquare peaked at #17 and now ranks #38 on iOS and dropped from #21 to #30 on Android. Foursquare’s new check-in app, Swarm, has met roughly the same fate; it currently ranks #997 overall in the U.S. App Store and is out of the top #500 in the Google Play store. At its peak, the app ranked #11 on iOS and #84 on Android. That’s a frightening decline.”
But FourSquare has a different take on it, although they admit that the app went through some issues during recent upgrades with users complaining about the changes. A FourSquare spokesperson told Venture Beat that more users than ever have been engaging on the platform by adding comments and “tastes” which work to tune and define the app’s recommendation algorithm.
Foursquare claims its has migrated over 80 percent of its users to the new apps and that its users have added 7 million tips (i.e.: reviews of local businesses) this month saying, “On our first day, we had five times as many tips as our best day ever.”
So it seems that only time, and word of mouth, will tell. Despite industry opinion, FourSquare seems to be holding on for now. And as someone who likes to know what they’re buying, I hope this app still has more life left in it.
I used to use this app, but I haven’t since they screwed it all up changing it. I’m not surprised to hear it’s losing popularity.
I was a Foursquare fan,
I loved it, but since the change motivation is gone to checkin.
Points, badges and become a mayor was fun!
Now it isnt!
I am a foursquare superuser level 3 with multiple check ins a day, hundreds of tips, thousands of photos and tens of thousands of edits. Now that ALL of my friends has quit foursquare, there’s no point in me staying as well. Deleted both apps with a heavy heart and moving on.
Foursquare is dead.
Foursquare killed the fun. There was a core group of my friends, maybe 30, that all checked in and shared tips and competed for badges and mayorships. Not a single one is left after the Swarm debacle. Deleted the apps as well as my FS account.
I was using foursquare for years and I loved it, the app was doing exactly what I wanted to do. I tried new app/apps and deleted both. All my friends stopped using them as soon they downloaded the other app.
I miss old foursquare.
They killed Foursquare. I put up with the forced migration to Swarm, but most of friends didn’t. So I’m losing interest after years with what used to be my favourite app, on the prime real estate of my iPhone. The new Foursquare? Just some recommendation app among many, and that I have consulted once in a month. I’d check-in AND browse locations in the old 4sq several times a day, spending time. The pivot lead face first into a brick will. Infuriating and sad
I did not even know this was still around.
They destroyed Foursquare. I used to love it and would make check in everywhere. Now I uninstalled it, and Swarm is useless. Complete lack of vision…
Uninstalled months ago, using Facebook now for check in.
I feel the same as everyone else. I tried the new apps but the company obviously didn’t even know what people liked about them. Kinda sad. I deleted both, quit Foursquare, and now check in with Facebook.
The new FS app, Swarm, is terrible! All I wanted to do was check in for lunch so I could get my discount, in 5 minutes I couldn’t find the simple check-in button.
I have uninstalled the apps, as dealing with the terrible new interfaces is not worth saving a buck on my burgers!
Did the same idiot that came up with “New Coke” in the 80’s go to work for FourSquare and decide to split the apps?
Foursquare sells your data to marketing companies. Stopped using it a while ago. Why you want to be profiled ?