The Magazine

Single-tap check-ins come to iOS with Checkie

16

on May 2nd, 2012

Checkie makes check-ins fast and easyLast week we covered Simple Check-in, an app that makes foursquare check-ins fast and simple on the Android platform. Now there’s Checkie, a similar app for iPhone users that’s ideal for those mundane, everyday check-ins.

Checkie offers a very simple interface. It shows nothing but a list of nearby foursquare venues. All you have to do is tap to check in. You’ll see a confirmation message, along with the number of points you earned… and that’s it.

It’s this spartan interface that makes Checkie so fast and easy to use. There’s no need for all of foursquare’s Explore features, friend listings, Facebook and Twitter sharing options, etc. The regular foursquare app handles all those very well. Checkie is meant for nothing other than checking in quickly. It’s perfect for those mundane check-ins where you don’t have anything to say with a foursquare shout or for those times you’re out with friends and don’t want to leave the conversation just to check in.

Checkie was actually the inspiration behind Simple Check-in, but it left out a key component of the check-in: reporting your location in order to make you eligible for mayorships. Developer Tim Johnsen released an update to Checkie last night that corrects the oversight and Checkie check-ins do now count toward mayorships.

I’ve moved Checkie to the main home screen on my iPhone, right next to Words With Friends (don’t judge), because I think it’s so useful. I’ve grown tired of the multiple clicks (and waits) to make a regular old foursquare check-ins, so this is a much-needed app.

Checkie is free in the iTunes app store. Give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments.

  • http://www.jones.in Christopher

    I was hoping iOS would get something like this. It’s going to be so useful and the stark white and black interface looks surprisingly great. I can’t wait to start using it.

  • Caleb Hays

    Thanks for sharing. Just tried it out and jumped for joy. It got my to rearrange my first home screen quick-hit list for the first time in years.

  • Timothy

    I’ve frequently found while searching for a venue that’s not on the list, the keyboard will go away as I’m typing, and thus check in to the venue listed where I then tap. Or when scrolling through, it will sometimes register a checkin. It’s too sensitive, and should at least have a confirmation

  • Elio

    Are you sure its check-ins counts towards mayorships? My days as a mayor didn’t look to have increased after checking in.

    • http://scottstilson.tumblr.com Scott Stilson

      Ditto: I’m not sure its check-ins count toward mayorships, either.

      • http://scottstilson.tumblr.com Scott Stilson

        Nevermind. Mine’s working fine!

    • http://about.me/cblack Carl Black

      It appears to have the opposite effect! Just tested it at home. Before: 33 check-ins in last 60 days. After: 31! Seriously.

  • Natalia

    The app stopped working after a reinstall (no venues load, just says “Refreshing” on top of the screen), is anyone else having the same problem?

  • http://twitter.com/carl Carl

    Yep, this clearly doesn’t work. Just tried it again on the same test venue and my visit count (viewing the venue immediately before using Checkie and then immediately after) decreased by two days! Looks like this post needs to be deleted or at least updated to clarify this.

    • Chris Thompson

      The best method for testing these things is to watch the “here now” count, since that’s a side effect of the same thing that disallows mayorships without GPS verification.

      If you use a check-in method that doesn’t report lat/long, you won’t show in the here now count. If you use a method that does, you’ll appear.

      Try it with foursquare’s mobile site and then try it again with Checkie. You’ll see that the count increases with Checkie, but does not with the mobile site.

      You can see the here now number at an individual check-in screen from that venue (it’s right below the map).

  • http://twitter.com/carl Carl

    Hmmm…the only place where I see folks listed as being “here” is in the app itself. I was thinking there was a “here now” feature on the web at some point, but it’s clearly not there when viewing venues now (or on the mobile site). That said, if I check in with an app that doesn’t add to Mayorships (ie Path) and then go to the 4sq app, it clearly shows me as “here.” Although I’m by no means an API expert, my understanding was that v2 required all clients to report this info, which is why the old ones became unusable if they did not update. Perhaps 4sq is simply requiring that their own app be used for Mayorship purposes, as I’m not aware of any other apps that actually seem to do this. (If they exist, perhaps they’d be worthy of an entire post!)

    • Chris Thompson

      The “here now” count is listed on the website on individual check-in pages. It’s different from the “here now” listing in the apps, which always report that you’re there no matter how you check in.

      Foursquare has no desire to make their app the only one whose check-ins are valid for mayorship. The vast majority of apps report your location and thus are fine. It’s not required by the API, though, which means developers occasionally leave it out because they don’t think it’s important.

      Also, to my knowledge, Path counts just fine for mayorships.

  • http://twitter.com/carl Carl

    Ah, I figured it out: the only way to see “here now” is to click on a friend’s check-in, which will take you to the page the shows the client used, points earned, etc. “Here now” does not seem to appear on any of the actual venue pages.

    To view an example of a place where a friend checks in using (only) Path daily, see this: http://4sq.com/J8okG0. You’ll see that it shows he’s checked in 0 times and there are only 7 total check-ins, though of course he’s checked in hundreds of times over the months. The reality is that he checked in within the last 24 hours using Path, and the check-in screen says, “Michael extended his reign as mayor with this check-in.” Here’s another venue he frequents yet which lists 0 visits: http://4sq.com/z6oHze.

    Until recently, I primarily used Path, Waze, and IG for check-ins but I noticed that there was a conflict in the messages returned if I used the regular app, ie, being awarded bonus points for my third visit in a week, yet on the same screen being told I’d only had one check-in in the past two months. I noticed that the only way to get the two-month number to be correct was to use the official app. Is it possible that the other apps DO count towards mayorship but there’s a bug preventing the two-month number from displaying correctly?

    • Chris Thompson

      It’s possible Path isn’t sending location along and I just never noticed. I can’t get Path to load a venue list to save my life tonight, so I can’t be certain.

  • http://twitter.com/carl Carl

    Alrighty, you can officially delete all of my other comments here. :)

    I’ve been using Checkie at venues I don’t visit that often, because it is the fastest (except for Waze if I’m driving, as I always have that running). I used it this afternoon when going to a busy store I don’t visit that often, and I was surprised to see a +5 appear. Why the extra points, as I knew I hadn’t been ten places today and didn’t know the mayor there? Oh, that was because I STOLE THE MAYORSHIP! Yep, with Checkie.

    Checkie, I bow down before you. You are awesome. Thank you for simplified check-ins!

    • Chris Thompson

      Ha! Thanks for the update, Carl and congrats on the mayorship!

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