Untappd is a
geosocial networking service and
mobile phone application founded by Greg Avola and Tim Mather that allows its users to
check in as they drink
beer
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
s, and share these check-ins and their locations with their friends. It incorporates aspects of
gamification
Gamification is the process of enhancing systems, services, organisations and activities through the integration of game design elements and principles in non-game contexts. The goal is to increase user engagement, motivation, competition and ...
.
Untappd provides a platform for users to rate the beer they are consuming, earn
badge
A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fir ...
s, share pictures of their beers, review tap lists from nearby venues, see what beers their friends are drinking, comment on checked-in beers, and ask the app to suggest similar beverages. In 2016, an updated version of the application allowed users to find a beer by scanning its
barcode
A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, Machine-readable data, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly ref ...
Untappd uses
Foursquare
Four square is a ball game.
Four square may also refer to:
Internet and entertainment
* Foursquare City Guide, a local search and discovery app
* 4 Square (game show), ''4 Square'' (game show), a British game show
* 4 Square (TV series), ''4 Squ ...
for its location services.
Badges
As a user checks in different beers, they earn badges. These badges consist of local badges, beer badges, venue badges, and special badges. Local badges are earned from checking in at specific locations participating in an Untappd for Business promotion. Beer badges are earned based upon how many unique beers a user has checked in, what country or region the beer is produced, what style the beer is, or various actions by the user, such as checking in the same beer multiple times in a row. Venue badges are earned for checking in at different locations like breweries, restaurants, or festivals. Special badges are earned from checking in a specific beer as part of a promotion or checking in on a specific holiday.
History
Untappd started in 2010 at
Father's Office in
Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, California. On January 17, 2014 it was announced that Untappd had passed the 1 million user mark and by April 2016, they had 3.2 million users.
On January 15, 2016, Untappd announced that it would become a subsidiary of
Next Glass, a beer and wine rating and suggesting application. Both companies indicated their applications will remain independent, but will benefit from increased data integrations.
It was included in the "Top 50 Apps of the Year" of 2016 by ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
''.
At the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
on March 25, 2020, the Untappd at Home campaign was launched, so users could check in beers from a global home location.
As of September 4, 2020 Untappd, reported 820,000 unique users checked-in at least once from almost 180 different countries.
See also
*
Beer rating
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
Official website
Software companies of the United States
Beer culture
IOS software
Android (operating system) software
Geosocial networking
Windows Phone software