API Documentation → Guidelines

I bring you these fifteen six commandments!

  1. Check in where the user actually is
  2. Don't encourage checking in where the user isn't
  3. Never check in without permission from the user
  4. Encourage social behavior, discourage bot-like behavior
  5. Rapid, repeated checkins are not tolerated
  6. Use the API responsibly

Gowalla aspires to connect real people with real places. Our goal has always been for people to go out and explore both locally and around the world.

As such, the Check In API is primarily intended for use by applications and services designed for mobile devices. Thoughtful uses of the API by applications and services designed for location-aware browsers on the desktop are also permitted. We encourage developers to use the following guidelines when creating applications that use Gowalla’s Check In API.

  • Encourage users of your application to check in at places they are actually located.
  • Avoid incentives or game mechanics that reward checking in from distant locations.
  • Never “auto check-in” a person without their explicit permission. This is seriously uncool.
  • Encourage social interaction over bot-like behavior.
  • Rapid, repeated check-ins with the intent to automate the location and swapping of items will not be tolerated.
  • Go easy on the API. Cache data where you can, respond to error messages, and be thoughtful about your user experience.

Applications that disregard the guidelines above risk violation of Gowalla’s Terms of Service and may have their API access suspended without warning. So keep cool, my babies.