computer science

Untappd

Untappd is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Untappd rather than just read about it. In short: 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 beers and share these check-ins and their locations with their friends. It incorporates aspects of gamification.

Key takeaways

Untappd belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Untappd to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Untappd from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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 beers and share these check-ins and their locations with their friends. It incorporates aspects of gamification. Untappd provides a platform for users to rate the beer they are consuming, earn badges, 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 Untappd uses Foursquare 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, 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. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic 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.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Untappd

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Untappd claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Untappd before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Untappd ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Untappd

In research: Untappd appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Untappd in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Untappd is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Android (operating system) software, Beer culture, Geosocial networking, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Untappd outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Untappd in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Untappd means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Untappd out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Untappd in simple terms?

Why does Untappd matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Untappd?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Untappd.