Foursquare has unveiled some big changes to its platform, announcing that it is essentially splitting its business into two separate apps, with the new app being called "Swarm."
According to the announcement, Foursquare's users typically leverage the platform for one of two reasons - to connect with their friends and to discover places.
"But, as it turns out, each time you open the app, you almost always do just one of those things," the Foursquare announcement states. "At home, you may be searching for a place for dinner. After dinner, you are probably looking to see what friends nearby are up to. That's why today, we're announcing that we're unbundling these two experiences into two separate apps - Foursquare, and a new app called Swarm."
With Swarm, users are able to share what they are up to, find out which of their friends are nearby and discover friends who would like to hang out. The announcement also notes that these activities are easier to do in Swarm than in Foursquare's current app. That said, Swarm isn't available yet, but will be coming to iOS and Android "in the coming weeks." Following the iOS and Android release, Swarm will also be available on Windows Phone.
It is also important to note that the original Foursquare app will be changing with the release of Swarm. The app's discovery feature is being updated and will include a more personalized search and provide users with better recommendations. According to Foursquare's, the revamped app will be ready later this summer.