Foursquare Android update brings back 'Nearby Friends' view

Foursquare’s latest Android update brings back the option to switch between ‘All Activity’ and ‘Nearby Friends,’ enabling users to stay in touch with their friends in the city, as per the official post on their blog. All users have to do is tap the options at the bottom of the friends tab to be able to switch between views. “The options will disappear as you scroll, and reappear when you scroll back to the top,” adds the post. 

Another interesting introduction is the ability to see who, among your friends, has been to a place where you are planning to go to, and his and her comments on it. Clearly, it’s a virtual version of what friends do in everyday life - considering each other’s opinions and comments to make a decision. 

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

New features introduced

Also, you can now view how often a place has been visited by your friends, and if they’ve liked it or not. It’s a great way to help you decide where to go when you’re weighing your options. Among other things, the post also shares information about a bunch of design tweaks and under-the-hood improvements that have been doled out “to keep things fast and intuitive".

One of the major improvements to the app came only recently, when the app placed its biggest update in the ‘Explore’ section. Now when you launch Foursquare, and choose to use the Explore feature to search for interesting places near you, it will take into account your location and your friends’ activity, along with the time of the day and the weather conditions. For instance, if you search for something inexpensive to do while it’s raining, the Explore function will suggest you go to a free museum rather than to a park. Alternatively, if you are opening the app on a Sunday morning, it will recommend places for brunch rather than dinner.

The UI design itself has been updated. As the Facebook app has done, Foursquare has updated its app to include bigger pictures. Photos are at the forefront of the app, making it resemble Instagram. User profiles now contain tiles that they can tap to access stats, lists, badges, and tips from one screen. Previously, you had to scroll to get to all of those elements. Also, Foursquare has added a heart shaped button, which functions the same way as the Facebook thumbs up ‘Like’. Users can now ’like’ venues, tips, and their friends’ check-ins on Foursquare.