It's the end of an era for one of the App Store's first success stories. Foursquare is shutting down its exclusive city guide app to “focus our efforts on creating an even better experience in Swarm,” the company said in a statement. . The app will close on December 15, while the web version will remain online until “early 2025.”
The closure is a notable shift from a strategy the company announced a decade ago when it controversially opted for its famous “check-in” service into a separate app. That app became known as Swarm, while the Foursquare-branded app became a “” filled with user-generated reviews and local recommendations.
Now, Foursquare says its future is, once again, check-in. “We are also introducing exciting new features and capabilities to Swarm throughout the year ( some of which may be familiar to you) to unlock new use cases that may better meet your needs,” the company said, adding that the features will be updated. additional updates. They are expected “early next year.”
It's unclear why the company is changing its strategy to elevate Swarm above its namesake app. The company more than 100 employees earlier this year in an effort to “streamline” operations. Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley, who is currently co-chairman of the company's board of directors, said in a post that the company is “doing well,” although he expressed his disappointment with the news. “I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I've been really depressed these past few days because of this news,” he wrote.
