Don’t Miss! 6 Must-Have Location Based Apps

Geolocation apps are the next frontier in mobile technology – not anymore! The implementation of location based tracking in mobile apps has come a long way since the early days of Google Maps, when 70% consumers had no idea what these apps were.

Today these applications help leading coffee chains serve customers better, aid universities to build relationswith prospective students and safeguard 87% of teens by sharing their locations with family and friends. What’s more – these apps are now helping users interact with objects indoors. According to a 2014 report byABI Research, approximately 30,000 sites across various industries have already installed indoor location projects.

While location tracking continues to make a big impact on how businesses market and operate, we attempt to explore more about the applications which are proving life altering for consumers. Listed below are 6 location based apps which are helping consumers make the most of location innovation.

FourSquare

FourSquare has reinvented local search and discovery, taking it to a whole new level. This app provides personalized search experience to its users based on the places they go, things they like, and people whose advice they trust the most. Based on these aspects the application suggests the perfect places to visit around users’ current location.Today, more than 55 million people and nearly 2 million businesses are using Foursquare.

Source: iClarifed

Source: Huffpost

Features:

Foursquare lets users look up restaurants/nightlife/shops and other areas of interests around them.
The app displays recommendations based on factors like time of the day, users’ tastes, and their check-in history
Users are encouraged to write 200 characters long tips which help fellow users know which place is good or bad
There’s a defined list of tastes in food items, various cuisines or environmental aspects, which users can add to their profiles and let the service know what they like
Foursquare’s latest version uses its patent technology ‘pilgrim’ to automatically detect users’ current location

What’s Up: FourSquare has recently partnered with Uber. Now users can directly book a cab from within the FourSquare app.

Google Now

And you thought Google Now is just another feature for Google Search? That’s not all. This intelligent personal assistant by Google answers your questions, makes recommendations and performs various actions by using a natural language user interface.

Source: EK

Source: Zdnet

Features:

Get the right information at the right time with Google Now reminder feature. Simply ask Google Now to remind you about something at a certain date, time or place and bingo! You will never forget anything again.
Ask Google Now just about anything and be ready to get some smart answers. Its voice command functionality can do just about anything from defining words to telling you who invented the internet.
Google Now tells you the breaking news and weather updates, reminds you about the upcoming episodes of your favorite TV show, provides tracking information of stuff you’ve ordered online, tells you about various stores available in a mall you are in, and tracks stocks you’ve searched for.

There’s a lot more Google Now can do. Read more about its amazing features here.

What’s Up: At a recent event in Paris, Google announced a Location Aware Feature for Google Now which’ll make it more useful than ever before.

MapMyFitness

MapMyFitness is a location tracking app which aims to make you fitter. This mobile app uses GPS technology enabling cyclists, runners and walkers to map and track their workout and record details like distance, duration, speed, pace, elevation, and calories burned. Further, users can access a searchable database to look up routes, access online training tools and fetch details about various fitness events.

Source: Google Play Store

Features:

An interactive map shows the path you’ve travelled and the distance you’ve covered
Share your fitness record/data with family and friends via email, Facebook and Twitter
Store your workout history on MapMyFitness. Set goals, challenge friends, join interest groups and stay connected with an online fitness community
Make a log of your daily workout by recording distance, pace, duration, speed, elevation and calories burned

What’s Up: MapMyFitness recently released a report listing most active states in USA. Find out if your state is one of them.

Life360

Life360 is a networking app helping millions of families and friends stay connected. Using this location based service, family members can share their location with one another, stay updated with the centralized notification center and communicate using group chat or private messaging. The app is currently being used by 50 Million families across the globe.

Source: Android Authority

Features:

Create groups for family, friends and care givers and decide when to share your location with each group.
Communicate with loved ones using free group chat and private messaging features
Check-in or mark your favorite spot using the app, and choose to notify a group when you reach there

What’s Up: Life360 just won a patent war against AGIS. Find out more details here.

GasBuddy

GasBuddy helps people find and track the cheapest gas station in their vicinity based on their current location. Using this app motorists can update gas prices for various gas stations on regular basis and win points. These points make them eligible for prizes like free gas!

Source: BerryReview

Source: The Riding Obsession

Features:

Access the largest database of gas prices in your area by simply entering your city, state or zip code
Find out which gas station has the cheapest prices and get helpful information like its address, phone number and directions to reach
Report and post fuel prices of your nearest gas station and earn points. Redeem these points to win freebies

What’s Up: GasBuddy has released a report recently which indicates that Pennsylvania might get the much-needed respite from rising gas prices soon.

Ingress

Ingress is an augmented reality multiplayer game designed by Google startup Niantic Labs. But it is more than just a game. With a complex sci-fi story building in the back drop, the aim of this GPS enabled gaming app is to establish portals at places of cultural significance such as monuments, landmarks, public art etc. and linking them to create control fields. Role play lies at the heart of this game.