Matthew Panzarino reports for TechCrunch that Foursquare no longer allows private check-ins on iOS 7.
Foursquare explains the change:
“As Foursquare continues to grow, we have decided to remove the ability to privately check in,” the entry states. “If you don’t wish to share your location, we’d encourage you to still use Foursquare to get out and explore awesome places nearby!”
Although this only applies to iOS 7, it is only a matter of time before this is implemented on web and other mobile platforms.
This decision speaks to Foursquare’s current direction on several levels. First of all, it coincides with the overall shift of the service away from a ‘check-in game’ to a recommendation engine. Removing the private option means that you can no longer use Foursquare as a ‘personal diary’ of visits, either. It is firmly a public network of curated locations in the vein of Yelp now.
Not a good idea to use a social app as a diary. If you want to keep a diary, go for a journal app instead. I use Day One, which supports recording of your location. Take a photo and save it to your journal along with the location data. A journal app would never choose to go public with your data.
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