Foursquare announced today their plans to shift their focus towards local search and to release an entirely new app called Swarm specifically for check-ins.
According to their announcement, the current Foursquare app will undergo significant changes and relaunch this summer.
“We believe local search should be personalized to your tastes and informed by the people you trust. The opinions of actual experts should matter, not just strangers. An app should be able to answer questions like ‘give me a great date dinner spot’ and not just ‘tell me the nearest gas station.’ We’re now putting the final touches on this new, discovery-focused version of Foursquare. It’ll be polished and ready for you later this summer.”
It’s unclear at this time whether Foursquare will remove check-ins from their app altogether. But it is clear, at least for now, that check-ins and badges will move over to their new app, Swarm.
“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.”
Swarm will launch on iOS and Android in the coming weeks, and soon after on Windows Phone. If you would like an opportunity to use it as soon as it’s ready, you can add your name to the list.
For more information about Swarm, including screenshots, see this article where Dennis Crowley provides exclusive details.
