The real world, now in real-time! Say hi to foursquare Radar!

Oct 12th

[The new version should be available in the App Store soon! Thanks for your patience]

The initial vision for foursquare centered around one question: can we build something to help make the world easier to use. Until now, we’ve focused around sharing what you’re doing and building expertise, with features like checking in, tips and recommendations. Today, we’re super excited by what some of iOS 5′s newest features allow us to do. Specifically, say hi to foursquare’s ‘Radar,’ a huge step in the evolution of the foursquare vision.

Now, if you follow a list, like the 101 Best Dishes of 2011, foursquare will let you know when you’re next to one. Or you save that yoga studio to your To-Do List (because you really want to try it); we can remind you when you’re close. Or, better yet, if you’re driving home and three of your friends are getting together nearby, we’ll tell you so you can meet up. The app doesn’t even have to be open, it just works. We call it foursquare Radar, because it finds things nearby that you normally wouldn’t know about.

After you download the latest version of the foursquare App and turn on Radar, your iPhone running iOS 5 will help you spend more time with the people and places around you. It’s powered by our Explore algorithm, so it catches all the interesting or fun things around you.

Hope you enjoy foursquare 4.0 and our updates for iOS 5. Let us know what you think in the comments. And stay tuned, because we’re just getting started with this stuff…

Oh, and nobody freak out, but we changed the color of the ball on our icon. Say goodbye to purple balls and hello to big green! Read more about it on our designer Mari’s blog.

Posted in Foursquare iPhone

99 Comments

  • Anonymous

    where is iOS5?

  • http://twitter.com/DanielBud Dan Bud

    Will GPS on at all times be necessary for this feature?

  • http://twitter.com/laustinseo lewis austin

    wow I love this new feature, just as i though Foursquare couldnt get better, maybe something to think about with the radar feature is to include a nearby offers notification? A huge part of my 4square usage is revolved around vouchers and itd be great to see this included =) 

  • Taufik_jos

    gggg

  • http://twitter.com/iMaheshSharma Mahesh Sharma

    Tht wud be awesome.. Hope it was possible for earlier versions of iPhone too..

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1383734555 Amadeu Amaral

    cool

  • http://twitter.com/Keichi Keichi

    And what about Android and Symbian?! Just the fu***** iPhone gets all the Good stuff -__-

    I really want to Kill Jobs for that damn thing.. But he’s already death <.<

  • http://twitter.com/atrubchik Артём Трубчик

    Well, in fact people may dont remember many things they just enter in 4sq.. But is it really nessasery?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Justin-Moore/727842035 Justin Moore

    Radar uses the newly improved iOS5 location services.  This uses a combination of many inputs including GPS, but is designed to be very efficient and not drain your battery.

  • Siddarao

    when are you launching iPad app?

  • http://twitter.com/williamtm/ WilliamTM

    Symbian is a relic.

  • http://twitter.com/williamtm/ WilliamTM

    Symbian is a relic.

  • http://twitter.com/carvalhorafael  Rafael Carvalho

    Excited to try it!

  • http://twitter.com/jamie_shaw Jamie Shaw

    Personally, I agree with that changing the ball to green to fit into the colour palette is logical, it just doesn’t sit right.  The purple feels nice, it looks nicer; the green just feels off and odd – I can’t get my head around it.

  • http://twitter.com/jamie_shaw Jamie Shaw

    Personally, I agree with that changing the ball to green to fit into the colour palette is logical, it just doesn’t sit right.  The purple feels nice, it looks nicer; the green just feels off and odd – I can’t get my head around it.

  • Della

    it will be released in an hour

  • Della

    it will be released in an hour

  • Karl Noelle

    Last I heard it will be released at 10am PST, 12pm CST, 1pm EST. 49 minutes left!!! :-D

  • Karl Noelle

    Last I heard it will be released at 10am PST, 12pm CST, 1pm EST. 49 minutes left!!! :-D

  • http://twitter.com/StanislavRH Stanislav Rastvorov

    Waiting!

  • http://twitter.com/StanislavRH Stanislav Rastvorov

    Waiting!

  • http://www.facebook.com/mark.tabera Mark Tabera

    WOW. Just, WOW.

  • http://www.facebook.com/mark.tabera Mark Tabera

    WOW. Just, WOW.

  • http://www.facebook.com/sudharsan.hari Sudharsan Hari

    Why change of ball color from Violet to Blue?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VBZGYKWTLYWGZRD7PORJFU6LEY Richard

    Figures it would be for the allmighty iPhone.  Android users always get hosed.

  • None

    I just want to point out, Pony Factory sounds like a strip club.

  • Anonymous

    Commence freaking out NOW. Just kidding, the green is great, and I’m excited to play around with the new Radar feature! Nice work.

  • http://twitter.com/SmirNoffRC ~เสมอนอฟอาร์ซี จ้า~

    Want Foursqure for iPad ><

  • http://www.facebook.com/inderpreet.nsit Inderpreet Singh

    Wait! Android? 

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=762691809 Erik Hehrmann

    Honestly: The new icon is crap. The green looks really weird on blue (in the app it’s always separated) and the non-parallel check mark looks clumsy and way to big.

    Why don’t you re-do the icon entirely to something more recognizable? Like a mayor symbol or something with a map or place mark that tells people what 4SQ is about. Most users don’t know the old connection to dodgeball anyways…

  • Chad Wagler

    Bring this to Android!!

  • http://twitter.com/chrisgoulet Chris Goulet

    Cool feature. Nice work, AGAIN. 

  • http://kobak.org kobak

    2 Questions: 
    - iPad version
    - Android version

    Thx. :)

  • http://twitter.com/seocosenza Andrea Infusino

    i want this feature in 4sq API.

  • http://twitter.com/TheClayFox Clay

    I bet in a week it will feel right, and you’ll forget that ball was ever purple. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/gail.emmerlingwilkins Gail Emmerling Wilkins

    Can’t wait!

  • http://twitter.com/Sarcazticc Sarcazticc

    When will this Radar update come to the Windows Phone???????

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  • David

    Does Radar have an affect on battery life?

  • iPhoneAppz

    4Square is the absolute best social networking app!

  • http://blog.stevious.com Stevious

    Is the iPhone user share for foursquare that much larger than Android
    that it would justify developing for iPhone only or iPhone first?

  • muratbiskin

    It’s really good I’ve been waiting for this.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YBYKDJGIWDA6F2PZ3CJQILJ5LQ Arnold McKinnely

    this probably has more to do with feature availability for iOS5. I know Android could support something like this, but my concern would be if 4square engineered correctly and didn’t suck all the battery life out. there are other location apps coded poorly and i’d rather they wait and do it right – provided that’s the reason.

  • Adam

    Mine is iPhone 3G …iOS5  is not  supported for an upgrade …Can we use the same old app ..or upgrading is compulsory …if yes ,,please send me an iPhone 4 or 4s :D

  • http://reydan.livejournal.com/ reydan

    cool :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1121373350 Vincent Tijms

    Sometimes they release things for Android first, sometimes for iOS. At least, that’s how I remember the update history. I think it makes sense that way.

  • Jgo

    If you follow anyone with offers set up as a list it should happen, right?

  • Ashley

    Four Square is a game played with a rubber ball, just like dodgeball. The logo doesn’t necessarily denote a connection to dodgeball.Plus I can’t imagine them using the mayor symbol because that’s not the main point of where they’re trying to head.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_square

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Laurent-Dhoorne/100001830383891 Laurent D’hoorne

    this new feature seems to be good ! I ‘m waiting… good idea the green of the ball on the icon !

  • http://twitter.com/aliciamfranks Alicia Franks

    Do they have this for Android?

  • http://twitter.com/aliciamfranks Alicia Franks

    Do they have this for Android?

  • http://blog.foursquare.com foursquare

    There should be minimal impact on battery life! We’ve spent months trying to minimize the drain.

  • http://blog.foursquare.com foursquare

    Radar will only work on iPhone 4 or 4S!

  • http://blog.foursquare.com foursquare

    Yes, this is because of features offered only on iOS5 and not on other platforms yet. We’ve spent months optimizing the drain Radar will have on your battery life!

  • http://blog.foursquare.com foursquare

    Only iPhone 4 or 4S.

  • http://blog.foursquare.com foursquare

    Do you mean 3G? You will need to have location services turned on in your phone’s settings app for foursquare to work at all, and we recommend having 3G and wifi turned on for Radar to work best.

  • axial sky

    Bring this to blackberry!!!!!

  • Nick

    Location servies won’t turn off, even with Radar disabled :-(

  • http://www.facebook.com/SsquaredplusA Stephen Alexander

    Windows Phone 7.5???

  • http://twitter.com/rwendt40 Ryan Wendt

    It’s already there

  • http://www.jenders.com Dennis Jenders

    Absolutely love the feature. From a marketing standpoint would this alert you to offers or specials based on brands that you follow?

  • http://www.brennanknotts.com Brennan Knotts

    Can someone else confirm this? I’ve never seen it but I’m still on Android 2.1

  • @drutenonline

    When i Turn Radar ON, 4sq shuts down on
    my jailbreaked iPhone4… Help!

  • http://blog.foursquare.com foursquare

    Not on Android yet! Radar is only available on foursquare 4.0 on iPhone (and only runs on iPhone 4 and 4S using iOS5).

  • http://aaqilx.blogspot.com Aaqil Mahmood

    I need this radar for my Android :)

  • http://avc.com fredwilson

    i second that request

  • http://www.facebook.com/neiljain83 Neil Jain

    seriously one of the best features they’ve introduced in a while. The Groupon connection will be really useful with Radar. Hope this feature rolls to android soon!

  • Anonymous

    So iPhone 3Gs didn’t get radar, correct?

  • http://disqus.com Peter Mullen

    I don’t think I like the green ball on the logo.  Bring back the purp!  #occupyfoursquareball

  • http://www.ianmayman.com/ Ian

    I’m going to have to learn how to use these Lists and To Do’s. Can anyone recommend a good things to do in London list?

    Now if only Foursquare would update Gowalla, then I may use Foursquare more again.

  • http://www.ianmayman.com/ Ian

    That’s disappointing. What prevents it running on a 3GS running iOS5?

  • FoursquareAddict
  • Anonymous

    This seems like an interesting feature, but as an iOS developer, it seems strange that this is only available on iOS 5. There were no location services added in iOS5 as far as I am aware. Both region monitoring and the significant change location API, as well as background GPS use, were all introduced in 4.0. Am I Missing something here?

  • http://twitter.com/finitor finitor

    Apple significantly overhauled and extended these parts of Core Location in iOS5, making them very usable for real-world services like this, especially with regard to power consumption & location accuracy.

  • http://twitter.com/Dnyan Dnyan Dharkar

    is there any link where we can signup to be updated once the android app launches?

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  • Anonymous

    Seriously, I have some doubts regarding your iOS 5 only stuff. I just browsed the whole Core Location framework because I couldn’t recall anything that would affect the battery that was included in iOS5.

    And I didn’t find nothing, the only new thing is the forward/reverse geo location decoder. 

  • Daniel S

    Hello!
    Recent L2 Super users here (also, an avid user and promoter (I’d say nearly 90% of my 80 friends joined because of my high praise – go 4sq!)). 
    Initial thoughts on Radar:Don’t get me wrong, I think Radar is a step in the right direction – I can see enormous value in being prompted to check in places I’m within close proximity of.  I’m just afraid we need a layer of settings to go along with it.  I’ll share two examples.1.       In congested areas where users engage in high check-ins, the notifications are overbearing.I live in the heart of Chicago.  I am mayor of 6-7 venues all within a quarter mile of each other (building, apt, subway, gym, starbucks, train station, etc).  I am a frequenter of probably 2 dozen more places.  I’ll check in at my apartment and set my phone down.  When I go back, there are 5-7 notifications suggesting I check-in alternate venues in the area.  I get this is precisely what it’s supposed to do, but there’s got to be a way to think through calibrating the UI.  We don’t want users to stop using it in early adoption mode.2.       To Do List notificationsMaybe this will require just a change in usage at the user-level?  When I first moved to the city, I used the “to do” function to ear mark stores and restaurants that I either walked by or were recommended to me.  Before making dinner plans or heading out to shop, I would refer to my To Do list and make a selection.  With radar on, I am reminded EVERY time I walk by (or, in the train, travel past) the restaurant that I have a to-do there.  First of all, I would venture a guess that the rooftop bar I pass every morning is not open at 7:00, let alone I am already en route to an alternate destination.  Thoughts?I don’t want to be overly verbose.  I love what you are trying to do with Radar.  I just think it needs some adjustments.  If it’s ever going to be adopted by your avid user base (esp. city dwellers, where the close proximity of locations will prove most annoying in radar).  I think a few adjustments are in order.Can you choose to leave radar notifications on or off on frequent check-ins and to-dos separately?Just some thoughts!Happy Friday, everyone!

  • http://www.freezecrowd.com Eric Leebow

    Android request! 

  • http://twitter.com/jasonjalves Jason J Alves

    How does it work?  I’m in my Foursquare app but I cant find Radar.

  • Joblair222

    when will this be available for android phones

  • Anonymous

    I’m seeing the same thing. What’s up with this, foursquare? I’m very concerned about my battery getting drained… GPS is constantly on, despite having Radar off. This is on a new 4S.

  • http://www.ilanpeer.com/ ilan peer

    This is how i figured Foursquare should work back in 2009 (on my Nokia N95)

  • MihaiCPH

    I don’t understand the algorith behind this. Could you explain more ? I mean when i get close to my home sometimes it pop’s up if i wish to check in but i have not added Home to my to-do list so what parameters does the app look at to check for locations to notify me about ? Another thing is. You say it uses very little battery but whenever my location changes Foursquare must be “waken” up to be able to request it’s database of locations so it can remind me. This particular operation must cost battery especially if i am moving alot. Please elaborate this.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7YDEPEPIFQAKRLJB45EB4XALHY Jan

    Yeah, but i am sure about this version. It is
    about help us a lot without any confusion matter.

    http://www.weewar.com/user/opadiran

  • Nick

    Make this available for Android too.  It’s over twice the size of iPhone/iPad/iPod in terms of users.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2320840 Jordon Novak

    Do you also have a location based Reminder set?  I know that keep the background location on as well.

  • Anonymous

    No, and iOS identifies the culprit with a purple arrow in the location preferences. For now, I’m not using 4SQ at all. Problem solved.

  • Google1209

    You mean… Apple solved this for you. You didn’t have to do anything about this but only connect to Apple’s Region Monitoring API. It’s supported on iOS5 and gives any app that wants to connect to it your location. So Apple tracks your location continuously as soon as one app is setup to request for that. Of course a user can always disable this on general settings level on iPhone.

  • http://www.peaceofcode.com/ peaceofcode.com

    Android please (stop taking so many Einstein sleep sessions!) code baby code!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=505920539 Anonymous

    not yet! ok and what are the plans to bring this to android?

  • Anonymous

    Awesome, but of what use is it when it’s not on android?

  • Anonymous

    Any news on a Symbian update to provide radar also?

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