Foursquare unveils comments and photos with new iPhone app

Popular check in application Foursquare today unveiled the next version of its iPhone application according to the company’s blog. The most notable features include being able to comment on friend’s check ins and photo sharing. The app is available now.

Last week, the company shared an indicator of the new app through a short Tweet, which thanked “SantaJobs,” apparently a reference to Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs.

The comments feature is meant to help give users some added value around meeting up with friends and exploring around town. For example, a user could see that a friend checked in nearby and tell them to come join them at the bar for a drink. Comments are only viewable by Foursquare friends.

The photos feature will allow for users to attach photos to a friend’s comment or the venue itself. Photos attached to a friend’s comment will only be visible by friends, but photos on venues will be visible by everyone.

The two new features are planned to be available on Android next week and the company points out that apps like Instagram, FoodSpotting and PicPlz, which use photo sharing and Foursquare, are trying to integrate with the new features.

The New York City-based company, founded in 2009, has raised more than $21 million in funding and currently has more than 40 employees in its hometown and a new engineering office it’s opening in San Francisco.