Foursquare Finally Rolls Out App Redesign

Foursquare teased its way to today's unveiling of the redesigned iOS and Android apps, available now in the respective marketplaces.

For days, the check-in king the hashtag #allnew4sq, with little detail of what the company was planning for its redesign. Now, with a focus on simplicity and user-ability, the redesigned apps are bringing a whole new experience to users.

"We took apart the app and completely rebuilt it," a Foursquare press release said, "with smarter recommendations, faster check-ins, and more of the activity that you care about."

Since the exploration company confirmed its milestone 20 million users in April, it turned its check-in service into a more social network-friendly application.

The new app features improvements to its Friends and Explore tabs, plus faster-than-ever check-ins, the company said.

Foursquare now pushes personalized recommendations to your phone, offering suggestions for Sunday brunch or the best burger in an out-of-town neighborhood. The more powerful Explore tab now bases its advice on you, your friends, and local people with similar tastes, rather than your physical location.

Similar to the Foursquare Web design, mobile users will now see an updated Explore map with friends' locations and nearby recommendations.

In a move similar to , Foursquare rolled out a rating system for users to bestow a heart or broken heart icon to various places, providing feedback for friends, whose activity is easier to follow with the updated Friends tab.

Showing more of your friends' activity, including their tips, lists, likes, and large swipe-able photos, the app also includes the interactive ability to like and leave comments on activity, instead of just scrolling through a list of people's latest check-ins.

While Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley said in March that check-ins are no longer the service's most popular component, the feature has not fallen by the wayside. Instead, the upgrades include a more speedy check-in process, Foursquare said, which starts with the relocated "check-in" button on the top right, closer to your thumb.

"Tap around to see what you discover," Foursquare suggested.

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