Business trips are not a new thing for you! And so is the shortage of time. But, the travel bug hits every time you step into some foreign place. The urge to taste the exotic local cuisines, and feed your brain with the beauty of museums, galleries, exhibitions must have brought you across the app named Foursquare.
Today, in this article, we are going to dig into the details of the app like Foursquare.
What is Foursquare?
Foursquare is an app for exploring location and finding services. The application provides personalized recommendations to users of nearby spots. The app enables the users to share locations with friends and explore the local visiting places with the help of communities the users’ trust.
The check-in application was launched in 2009 by Southwest Interactive. Naveen Selvadurai and Dennis Crowley are the cofounders of this application. Presently, Foursquare has 20 million-plus users. It uses local intelligence for refining the customer experience and having informed business decisions.
Geo Location apps
Every year, more than 1.32 billion people travel. Generally, people are not very much familiar with the place they are to visit. They have the option of buying some maps and exploring but, isn’t it a bit outdated. However, geo location applications come handy in such cases. Users can access the reviews about places and get to know them better.
What is a Location-based App?
A location-based application is a combination of two sections- Database and Maps. Users can leverage web apps or download the mobile version to check out the best places in the city to eat and visit. They can explore tourist spots not far from their hotels. Also, the description boxed in the app is there to enlighten the users who are entirely unaware of the venue.
Features in a Location-based App Like Foursquare
Foursquare app is available on BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android. The app helps in finding and sharing information about the local attractions based on following feature-kit:
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Connecting With Friends
Upon downloading the app on your device, it gives an option to find friends inside your links and your social media accounts. The app provides information about the activities of your friends and vice-versa.
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Checking In
For taking full advantage of the application Foursquare, use “check in” whenever you visit some attraction or just a regular spot. Once you have checked in, the app will post the same on your status. This way, your friends would be aware of your whereabouts.
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Finding Attractions
By tapping on the “Explore” option, users can search for various categories they wish to visit. Also, the feature “To Do” list helps in logging the tasks; a user wishes to perform later.
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Review the Spot
Upon visiting the location, it is a good habit to review it. Reviewing makes it easy for other people to get an idea about the location.
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Badges & Mayorships
Foursquare offers badges for visiting different kinds of places. Also, one can earn mayorship by visiting one place repetitively. Many businesses like that of restaurants reward the mayors for their loyalty.
How to Develop an App Like Foursquare?
Foursquare enables the usage of geolocation settings of the devices for helping the consumers to navigate. Geolocation application is based on the following concepts:
- Latitude
- Longitude
- Altitude
Also, the following metrics are important subjects in the app development:
- GPS tracking
- Bluetooth
- Controllers like Aerometer
- Wi-Fi or any other internet connection
Cost of Building an App Like Foursquare
The cost to build any software application depends upon several factors, and it varies from location to location. Today we are going to list out the factors that contribute in calculating the cost to develop apps like Foursquare.
- Designing Prototypes
Prototype designing and requirements gathering is the first phase in any application development. All the strategic agreements are signed in these situations, which accounts for a couple of days. With time, the stage plays a significant role in the cost of app development.
- Database Development
- Places integration (Areas listings, details of spots, filters, the chart)
- Check-in (database if needed, in-app area management).
- Suggestions (Saved places, Favourites, Recommendations)
- User account (information, costing, edits, choices, etc.)
- Past Record (Places visited)
Android Development and iOS development would account for a different number of hours and hence would result in different costs on the same feature set.
- Styling or Frontend Development
The customized UI design is a tricky part, and it isn’t very easy to predict the exact time and cost required for this phase. UI is what usually determines any application’s success in the market.
- Backend or Server Side Development
Not a single app with location-based services can function without a solid backend. The backend development includes the involvement of various languages and servers, for instance- Ruby on Rails, CSS, HTML, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Node JS, and more. Backend development is a significant phase in the development of geolocation applications and is a significant contributor in determining costs.
Testing the app performance depends upon the developer and testing techniques. The process costing varies for the Android and iOS devices. It also depended upon the functionality and complexity of the UI design.
Take-Home Message
Geo Location application development has its specifications like any other industry. Travelling is at a boom more than ever, and assisting people in exploring new places has never been more critical than now. New areas are waiting to be discovered, dishes yet to be tastes, minds to be fed with wanderlust. In the era of touring, location-based apps are very much in demand. Startups are getting launched following the same notion.
If you also desire to get an app developed like Foursquare, contact Matellio. Our team of experts is there to craft a full-fledged software equipped with robust functionality, tailored as per your needs.
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