Foursquare removed the need for users to create an account before using its app, a move which will remove a barrier to entry for new users as the company looks to boost its position in the mobile search market.

TechCrunch noted that the original sign-up process was fairly onerous in order to provide personalised recommendations, requiring users to choose options that reflect their tastes for food and places, as well as requesting links to other social services.

But while this enabled the company to provide tailored information, it also provided a barrier for new and casual users at first sign-up – and other, competing services are available.

The report also said that the main reason that this has not already happened is that it was a “difficult and challenging engineering task”, due to the framework of the existing system.

Last year, the “check-in” feature which had been a mainstay of Foursquare was stripped-out of the main app, as part of a focus on local search and information services. Check-in was made available through a separate app, Swarm.