Gowalla’s Comeback—Can It Revive the Social Map That Foursquare Left Behind?

The Original Gowalla: A Social Map with a Twist

Back in the late 2000s, Foursquare wasn’t the only check-in game in town. Gowalla launched in 2009 as a more playful, visually rich alternative. Instead of simple check-ins, it let users collect virtual items, complete trips, and discover new places in an interactive way.

It felt like a mix between a travel diary and a scavenger hunt. People loved it for:

• Its beautiful design (even Steve Jobs reportedly admired it).

• A more adventurous feel, with digital passports and collectible stamps.

• A focus on discovery rather than just checking in for points.

But despite its early buzz, Gowalla struggled to compete with Foursquare, which had a bigger user base and more businesses integrating check-ins.

The First Fall: Facebook Buys, Then Kills Gowalla

In 2011, Facebook acquired Gowalla, seemingly to integrate its location features into Facebook Places. But instead of improving it, Facebook shut it down in 2012. The team was absorbed into Facebook’s Timeline project, and Gowalla disappeared.

For years, location-based social apps evolved without it. Foursquare split into two (and lost its momentum), Snap Map rose, and Zenly created the most engaging version of real-time friend tracking—only to be shut down by Snapchat later.

But then, Gowalla came back.

The Comeback: Gowalla 2.0 in 2023

More than a decade after it shut down, Gowalla returned in 2023, funded by a mix of former Foursquare execs and tech veterans. But the new Gowalla isn’t just about check-ins—it’s trying to be a real-time social map built for spontaneous meetups.

Some of its key features:

• A live map showing where your friends are, without constant tracking.

• Drop-in check-ins, where users can tag locations without feeling like they’re broadcasting everything.

• Game-like elements similar to the original, but reimagined for today’s social habits.

Unlike the first time around, Gowalla is launching into a world where people are already comfortable sharing locations with friends—thanks to Snap Map, Life360, and Find My Friends. The challenge? Making it feel fresh and useful enough to replace those apps.

Can Gowalla Succeed This Time?

Gowalla has one big advantage: People are actively looking for a replacement for the shut-down Zenly and a better alternative to Snap Map.

But it also faces huge challenges:

• Network effect: People won’t switch unless their friends do.

• Privacy concerns: Users want to share location intentionally, not constantly.

• Competition: Google, Apple, and Snap all have built-in location sharing.

Gowalla’s best shot is to lean into spontaneity—helping people bump into friends, discover events, and explore new places in a way that feels fun and natural.

The location-based social space is still wide open. If Gowalla can nail the balance between privacy, discovery, and real-time connection, it might finally get the second chance it deserves.