Foursquare plans to sunset its City Guide app on December 15, 2024 to focus on check-in app Swarm, reversing a 2014 decision to split its services into two apps
“I would be lying if I didn't admit that I have been in a real funk these last few days over this news,” writes Foursquare …
City Guide users must transition away from the app when it closes, while Swarm becomes Foursquare’s sole named consumer-app priority.
Foursquare can stop maintaining a separate discovery product and concentrate consumer-product resources, updates, and messaging on Swarm.
Second-order effects
The move reduces Foursquare’s standalone consumer presence in local discovery, leaving its check-in-oriented product to carry more of the brand’s direct relationship with users.
Teams and partners built around City Guide’s distinct discovery experience may need to redirect attention to Swarm or to Foursquare’s other location-data products.
Third-order effects
If similar consolidations persist, location-data companies may increasingly treat consumer apps as focused engagement surfaces rather than maintain separate discovery and social products.
The key uncertainty is whether a narrower consumer footprint strengthens Swarm’s community or instead reduces the user activity that can support Foursquare’s broader location-data ecosystem.
The trend: This is one instance of mature location platforms simplifying consumer portfolios to concentrate scarce operating resources on a single, differentiated use case.
I would be lying if I didn't admit that I have been in a real funk these last few days over this news. I have a really good blog post somewhere in me about 'the danger of falling in love with the companies you build & products you create", but it's not the right time to write it…
Super bummed about the wind down of the @foursquare city guide. I know we can moan a lot about how the internet used to be fun and this and that, but there's certainly a truth to it. Our quest for efficiency has robbed us of some joy. — I'm still convinced there are successfu…
Btw, just to be clear, “Foursquare the company” is doing fine ($100M+ revenue, etc), “Foursquare City Guide” (the local discovery app) is being sunset (RIP), and “Swarm” (the checkin app) is sticking around as the workhorse. Appreciate all the kind words (💙) but it did seem like…
Also, a HUGE shoutout to the old-school FSQ consumer product + eng + infra teams that made it so the apps could withstand being ghostridden into the night (aka: minimal internal support), and to the Superuser Community who has been keeping the data fresh and clean behind the scen…
Farewell to Foursquare's app | TechCrunch — The company is focusing on its Swarm app, which was split off from the Foursquare app. Swarm is basically a check-in app, very useful to keep track of place you eat and frequent. (I can see how many times I've eaten at our favorite…
Very strange and sad to see Foursquare's city guide finally going away, even if sometimes I feel like the only person still using it. https://foursquare.com/...
Sad to hear about @Foursquare shutting down the city guide app. Google Maps ate their lunch - but there were the OG location recommendation app. It's good to hear that @SwarmApp is continuing to live. [image]
So, Foursquare is saying “bye-bye” to their City Guide app and website. Not surprising at all, since apparently after dividing their geolocation app in two separate ones, a lot of users simply jumped ship [image]
So let me get this straight, Foursquare spins off Check-ins to Swarm, to focus on City Guide... Then shuts down City Guide to focus on Swarm... [image]
Aw, Foursquare City Guide app is going away. As a long time 4sq/Swarm user, it is sad to see it ends. But I realized I gradually shifted to G Maps about 6, 7 years ago for the purpose...
Farewell @Foursquare City Guide, we hardly knew ye. I've always enjoyed checking in with @SwarmApp as a reminder of where I've traveled, adding new locations & submitting updates for businesses. Hopefully Swarm will remain around for a bit longer. #fingersCrossed [image]
RIP to Foursquare City Guide, my most reliable source of city discovery with a Pitchfork-quality 10.0 scale implementation. I don't know what to use next, but Google Maps ain't it. https://foursquare.com/...