Groupon Founder Launches Detour – Location-Based Audio Guide App

Detour, an iOS app that gives audio tours based on location, has just become available in the for iPhone users. The app was created in part by Andrew Mason, the founder and former CEO of Groupon.

Some time after getting fired from Groupon, Mason began working on Detour based on an experience with an audio tour in Rome. While the audio tour he listened to took him around Rome’s tourist traps, Mason was hoping to get a better look at the local scene. “Ever since the App Store came out, I have looked for this app,” Mason told Ryan Lawler of TechCrunch.

Instead of continuing to look, Mason and his team created Detour. The app uses GPS and iBeacons to track users locations down perfectly, and it can sync up audio between multiple devices. New tours are going to be released through the app weekly, so users are inclined to continue using Detour.

Andrew Mason, founder of Groupon and Detour.

At a time when audio wearables are becoming more and more popular, the creation of an app like Detour implies great things to come. Detour could link up with earpieces and other gadgets very easily, especially with its “group sync” feature. Many wireless headsets already exist thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, so a Bluetooth-powered Detour is definitely conceivable.

Detour spent six months in private beta testing before its release. So far, Detour has only launched in San Francisco, but it has plans to expand into other cities by the end of this year. An individual audio tour costs $4.99, while “city subscriptions” are going for $19.99.

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