Google Maps challenges Foursquare with new Explore feature on Android and iOS
Google announced today the addition of an Explore Nearby button for Google Maps on iOS and Android. The featuring is rolling out “starting this week.” — The new feature expands the Google Maps as more than just your go-to app for directions.
Context & Ripple Effects
Google has been steadily thickening Google Maps beyond routing since at least 2010, when it added updated reviews and search filters to the Android app. The Explore Nearby button rolling out this week on iOS and Android extends that arc from search-and-reviews into proactive local recommendations — the territory Foursquare built its business on.
The pickup was unusually broad for a feature launch: Google LatLong, The Verge, Gizmodo, Fox News and four other outlets all carried the story on the same day, reflecting how directly the move reads as a challenge to Foursquare rather than a routine Maps update.
First-order effects
- Foursquare's core discovery use case now competes against a feature pre-installed on both major mobile platforms, letting users find nearby places without opening a separate check-in app.
Second-order effects
- Foursquare is pushed further toward monetizing its venue data through partnerships and licensing rather than consumer engagement, since Google can bundle recommendations with the map itself.
Third-order effects
- If map platforms keep absorbing discovery layers, standalone local-recommendation services risk being reduced to data suppliers to the very apps that displaced their front end.
The trend: Navigation apps are absorbing local discovery and recommendations, converting standalone check-in services like Foursquare into upstream data providers.