Foursquare and Uber

The perfect ride for the perfect recommendation

Published in

Uber Developers

3 min readJun 1, 2015

Whether you’re hungry or just looking for a place to hang out, picking a spot that accommodates your needs is not always the easiest task. In fact, you might often find yourself spending more time figuring out which place to go to than actually being there. That’s why Foursquare learns about what you like so that they can help you find places that they think you’ll love. The app recommends places that are around you based on your tastes, your ratings for similar places, and the friends and experts that you trust most.

So where does Uber come in? With Uber’s API, partners like Foursquare can save their users even more time by removing the burden of figuring out how to get to the next spot in your day.

Saving time by creating less hassle

The magic starts right when you open up the Foursquare app and the recommendations automatically load on your screen based on your preferences. Once you select a venue,, the app will generate everything you need to know including tips, general information, photos, reservation options, maps, and of course the option to get an Uber to the venue. With Uber’s on-demand transportation solution, users won’t have to worry about how they’re getting to places like Barcade and spend that time enjoying their night out instead.

So how did the team integrate Uber into their app? With the help of our friends from Button, the team was able to leverage the rich and interactive Uber Ride Picker that they’ve created specifically for Uber. The best part about the integration is that it only took a few lines of code! Now Foursquare users can get to their favorite venue by choosing from a range of products including everything from uberX to UberSUV.

“We made Foursquare to help people discover great places and get personal recommendations for where to go next. If that next great spot isn’t right around the corner, we provide directions to help you get to your destination. Now, we are giving you a simple way to call an Uber from the app — making it easier than ever to find the perfect place just for you.”
—Noah Weiss, VP of Product Management at Foursquare

Take an Uber to a Foursquare recommendation for free!

Foursquare would like to make it easier for you to get to where you want to be. That’s why the team is giving out a limited amount of free rides for new and existing users (up to $20 on a first come first serve basis). We look forward to continuing to innovate with Foursquare and Button on new and innovative features. In the meantime, enjoy your free ride by following the steps below.

Step 1: Download the Foursquare app