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Swarm 5.0 — Remember everywhere.
Swarm is the best way to keep track of the places you go. From the new café downtown to that killer ramen spot in Tokyo, you’ll never ask “what was the name of that place?” again. Whether you love to be a local, or are trying to travel the globe, check in so you can remember everywhere with Swarm.
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Chris Messina
Top Hunter
Hunter
New in version 5.0:
Say hello to Swarm 5.0. The best way to keep track of the places you go! We’ve been working on a fresh look this Summer, and are ready to show it off. Here’s what’s new and improved:
• Your history, front and center. It’s now easier than ever to see all of your check-ins in one place. Less taps, more leisurely scrolls down memory lane.
• 100 Collectible Categories, each paired with a Collectible Sticker. Chances are you just got A LOT of new ones added to your Sticker book, make sure to check ‘em out.
• A snazzy new look for your profile. Not only can you quickly access all of your stats about where you go and what you do, but also your check-in map is now SHAREABLE. (We’re really excited about this one.)
• Wait, did you not realize you could actually tap on the map on your profile?? Take a look. Every time you check in, we drop a pin for you. Reminisce on that vacation to Paris, family road trip, or all of the local coffee shops you’ve visited on a much more macro, memorable level.
Lifelogging has never been so simple. Get out there, check in, have fun, and Swarm on.
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Cool revamp, I've wanted new stickers for a while :D And I like the Categories collection as well.
One thing I don't quite get though is what coins are for now. There used to be a way to use it to upgrade stickers, but from what I see, now stickers upgrades are done by checking in more in that category.
is there something I'm missing or are coins useless now?
@gflandre For now, coins will be used a status (aka: I have more coins than you == I've explored more than you). We're kind of thinking of coins as "Super Mario style" (collect 'em for the sake of collecting 'em) as opposed to "currency". If you remember, we took a stab at Swarm coins paying for real-life perks, but it was nearly impossible to do outside the US (which didn't feel fair to our huge international user base)
@dens Got it, I'm fine with one more "vanity metric" :D
Stickers being unlocked by number of checkins makes more sense anyway.
I've been a long term fan of Foursquare which is hands down the best app to find places to go to abroad or at home.
And I love Swarm as a life log, a way to make recommendations to friends when they go to a country I've been to already, and a fun way to fight w/ my gf over mayorships.
So I guess I want to say thank you :D
@gflandre @dens @gerbz I've had a heated, ongoing debate with @jeffbowen on whether investing in Sticker boosts was wise. He said no... looks like he was right 😭
As someone who has a Swarm --> Google Sheets IFTTT recipe set up to keep a running list of everywhere I go, I'm glad to see Swarm moving in this direction.
I use Swarm every where I go around the world. It's a fantastic way to keep track of where you've been, places you love, and saving your favorite nom-nom spots! If you want an alternative to Google automatically tracking every place you go to, plus gamification, this is it!
Pros:New stickers? ✅ Improved timeline/profile UX? ✅ Lovely new UI? ✨✅
Cons:I don't really see a purpose for coins, now that you don't use them to upgrade stickers. It was confusing to me to realize this.
Isn't Google Maps Timeline already doing this with photo embellishments from Google Photos? (on iOS, Android and Desktop)
@chuckkahn At first, I didn’t get what was the point of 4sq/Swarm, it didn’t use any kind of basic AI or automation, so the user had/has to do most of the work. After a while I got the point with Google it’s very difficult to brag about where you had been, your timeline is “private” information, kind of for your eyes only. On the other hand 4sq/Swarm had been designed from the ground to up to lure braggers. But I have been lucky enough to have a wise man ask me to tell him about what I was bragging that he in return would let me know what I didn’t have. No, I don’t use Swarm.
Love it! This is what I have been using Swarm for :) Whenever someone says they are going to Italy I open Swarm and look at my history to remember the places I went so I can make recommendations - then I start planning for the next trip of course!!
Yes! I'm liking this more focused approach. I love the new map view, although I kinda wanna experience it fullscreen in landscape mode to get really immersed in it, because discovering those empty areas really makes me want to go there and fill it in. The app icon looks much better sitting alongside Foursquare too. Overall Swarm 5.0 feels easier to use. Nice work.
Very excited about this update! Looks like the redesign reflects exactly the way I've been using Swarm. Can't wait for the Android version to be released :)
Cool... I honestly do like Swarm, and use it occasionally -- but I always forget about checking in because there is really no real time value to be had. I still use it with the "hope that the data might be useful to me at some point in the future". That's something entrepreneurs like me may put up with, but the average consumer is not likely to stick with it very long.
All the 23 to 30 year olds I work with think I am from outer space because I use Swarm. I miss the Four Square name.
I am psyched for this update. Still a strong Swarm power user, to excited to see updates that make the app more usable. Looks great already!
Pros:
Beautiful design, cool new map checkin history, and ramped up display of collected category stickers. Really beautiful update!
Cons:I still wish the actual checkin button was larger. It's pretty small and not the easiest thing to hit with your thumb.
Pros:
They listened to their customers and took today's use of Swarm and made it better looking and easier to use
Cons:Still dont love the disconnect from 4sq, but I've learned to deal :)
Huge improvement to the UX - love the simple toggle between personal and social timelines and additional maps.
Congratulations! I love anything and everything about new Swarm. But I love the new profile the most, especially Places and Categories. I’d love to see more infographics and progress bars. That’s what motivates me to check-in more.
If you ask me about the things that would make Swarm perfect. Firstly, I was also expecting new features for photos as they're more prominent now, possibly the number of views for each photo, ratings that user can evaluate each photo for and place the most rated photos more visible in the profile. Furthermore, I'd want followers and following rather than friends on Swarm like our dear ol' Foursquare. If there are privacy issues, one could make their profile private and restrict followers.
Some of these features are best written by Google Maps and Instagram that Swarm can get inspired from and improves even more.
Great work. Foursquare and Swarm are my "go-to"s for in and out of home city recommendations/check ins. Far more fun to use than competing rating apps/services and very effective outside the US.
5+ years ago I sat down with Dennis at a bar watching a Cuse game and told him this is why I use Foursquare, reviews and life logging. Can you focus more on life logging. Happy it's now arrived!