Apple Maps Now Using 'Business Listings' Data From Foursquare

[MacRumors]

As of October, Foursquare has become one of the companies that contribute data to Apple's Maps app, providing information on "Business listings data." This likely includes details on restaurants, retail stores, and other venues, given Foursquare's focus on unearthing the "best places to eat, drink, shop, or visit in any city in the world.

Rumors about a data sharing deal between Foursquare and Apple first surfaced in 2012, but Apple Maps Marketing, a site that keeps an eye on Apple's Maps partners, notes that Foursquare was not added as a partner until October 22.

For those unfamiliar with Foursquare, it's essentially a Yelp competitor that helps people find nearby venues. Several years ago, Foursquare was popular as it had a built-in check-in feature that let people share the places they'd visited, but Foursquare has always had trouble securing revenue.

In 2014, Foursquare split its app into Foursquare, for local listings, and Swarm, its check-in app, which ended up being an unpopular decision. Since then, Foursquare has struggled to find its niche among competitors, so this data sharing deal with Apple could be a huge boon for the company.

Article Link: Apple Maps Now Using 'Business Listings' Data From Foursquare

 

[NickD73]

Google Maps. Need I say more?

 

[Xavier]

Always great to see Apple Maps become more and more useful!

 

[Mums]

Does this mean I have to put my information on Foursquare? Seems like a hassle.

 

[ButteryScrollin]

Google Maps. Need I say more?

Ads + Tracking, no thanks.

 

[Jakexb]

OH HECK YES. Foursquare data in a million times more accurate than Yelp. Plus, Yelp is a sleazy company.

So very happy to see this.

 

[zubikov]

Finally!

 

[GavinSharp]

Google Maps. Need I say more?

If your intent is to communicate something meaningful, yes.

 

[kirky29]

I personally still don't like or trust Apple maps. I don't find it accurate around my area. Plus the lack of a web version makes it pretty useless a lot of the time. Personally.

 

[2457282]

Google Maps. Need I say more?

Please do say more. Because for me Google Maps does not work. It does not integrate with any of my Apple products. I cannot click on an address in mail or safari and get it to launch google maps. so why Google Maps. It makes no sense unless I have an Android device, which itself would make no sense.

 

[bpeeps]

Google Maps. Need I say more?

I use Google Maps to lookup businesses but not for directions. I find that Google never represents traffic accurately and the UI for navigation/route selection is pretty terrible.

 

[duffman9000]

Please do say more. Because for me Google Maps does not work. It does not integrate with any of my Apple products. I cannot click on an address in mail or safari and get it to launch google maps. so why Google Maps. I makes no sense unless I have an Android device, which itself would make no sense.

Blame Apple for the lack of integration. Apple does not allow users to choose default apps.

 

[dannyyankou]

Honestly the only reason I still use Google Maps is Lane Assist. Once apple integrates that, I'll switch over.

 

[bpeeps]

I personally still don't like or trust Apple maps. I don't find it accurate around my area. Plus the lack of a web version makes it pretty useless a lot of the time. Personally.

I like Apple's voice navigation, but still don't trust the accuracy. The last time I used Apple Maps was when I tried to drive to Home Depot like 3 years ago. Apple Maps took me to a random residential street in a very choice looking neighborhood where a bunch of 10 year olds stopped in the middle of the street and started mean mugging me in my car. All I could think was WTF did a bunch of 10 year olds try and intimidate me in a car, where did Apple maps take me...

/csb

 

[naeS1Sean]

Ads + Tracking, no thanks.

I don't see any ads on Google Maps...

 

[RickInHouston]

Ads + Tracking, no thanks.

These posts make me laugh out loud. Ads? In Google Maps? Haven't seen one. Tracking? I'm just not very important to care about this.

 

[naeS1Sean]

These posts make me laugh out loud. Ads? In Google Maps? Haven't seen one. Tracking? I'm just not very important to care about this.

Agreed. I love Apple and Apple Maps is great...I just don't trust it like I do Google Maps. So why use it over Google Maps? If i were to go from PA to FL, i would NEVER use Apple Maps. Or anything but Google Maps for that matter. Directions are too important to F around with, and Google Maps really has their s@it together. Just my thoughts, please don't burn me at the stake anyone.

 

[Popeye206]

Always great to see Apple Maps become more and more useful!

Ditto... I find Apple Maps very useful for my area and seeing more detail come is always a good thing.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Apple maps showing me the speed limit of the road I'm driving on and alerting me of being over that limit would be far more useful to me than this feature.

I would think if Apple maps could offer native speed limit warnings, this would become another good selling point for the iPhone; a ticket saved will go a long ways toward paying for a new iPhone. (As it is, if one wants this functionality, one had to buy an app like TomTom for the iPhone.)

 

[naeS1Sean]

If they want Apple Maps not to viewed as the disaster it was when it was released, they should overhaul it and re-release it I think.

ALSO, Google is consistently updating G Maps with new features and such. More than Apple does Apple Maps I feel. Or at least Google tells me what they are doing with their maps. Apple makes us guess and find out here.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Honestly the only reason I still use Google Maps is Lane Assist. Once apple integrates that, I'll switch over.

You know you could just look at the signs on the road, right? I've never had a situation where Google's Lane Assist was able to tell me something that I couldn't tell by just looking at the signs at an intersection. Sometimes the intersection lacks signage, but in that case Google's Lane Assist is also unable to help.

 

[naeS1Sean]

Honestly the only reason I still use Google Maps is Lane Assist. Once apple integrates that, I'll switch over.

Yeah, I love the lane assist feature.

 

[mikesilv]

So is this why every time I ask Siri for directions to a business and state the street it's on, it gives me some other location on another street. Then when I omit the street and just give the business name and the city, it gives me a small subset of locations. Until the 3rd or 4th time I try when it finally provides all the locations, including the one I actually wanted in the first place. Because, yeah, this beautiful magical frustration generation feature in the present Siri/Maps is super awesome.

If Apple can't figure out privacy + dataset that doesn't suck = useful soon, I am thinking of going back to the Google deal with the devil on mapping. It would be nice to have to say things once to your mapping digital assistant, instead of feeling like you are talking to your father with Alzheimers.

 

[justperry]

I like Apple's voice navigation, but still don't trust the accuracy. The last time I used Apple Maps was when I tried to drive to Home Depot like 3 years ago. Apple Maps took me to a random residential street in a very choice looking neighborhood where a bunch of 10 year olds stopped in the middle of the street and started mean mugging me in my car. All I could think was WTF did a bunch of 10 year olds try and intimidate me in a car, where did Apple maps take me...

/csb

So, you think nothing changed since it was released in 2012 which is 3 years ago, give it a try again.

 

[dannyyankou]

You know you could just look at the signs on the road, right? I've never had a situation where Google's Lane Assist was able to tell me something that I couldn't tell by just looking at the signs at an intersection. Sometimes the intersection lacks signage, but in that case Google's Lane Assist is also unable to help.

Sometimes you don't see the signs because cars are blocking them and you have to make a lane change last minute and people are pissed because you cut them off.