Path update brings Facebook, Instagram and Foursquare import feature to existing users

Back in July, social networking app Path added a handy feature for pulling in Facebook statuses, Instagram photos and Foursquare check-ins when creating a new account. A new update to the iOS app has now enabled imports for existing Path accounts, meaning that you don’t have to start from scratch if you want to bring in your data from other services.

Changes to version 2.5.6 include:

• Sharing — Write about, tag, and share moments easier.
• Camera — Quicker access to your photo library.
• Settings — Manage your profile and connections better.
• Import Facebook, Instagram, or Foursquare any time from settings.
• Bug fixes.

From the looks of it, the feature actually arrived quietly back in late September, but Monday’s update is the first that we’ve heard of it.

We’ve confirmed that the import works. From the app’s settings pane, iOS 6 users can choose to “Start Your Path” with imports from the three services mentioned above. When you choose to import, a notification will pop up explaining that the content pulled will only be shared selectively. New posts on the other services won’t automatically appear in Path, but you should still be able to go back in and hit the import buttons to drag in new content from other services.

Now that all users can bring in their content from other platforms, Path should get a lot stickier. Where July’s update should have helped bring in some brand new users, opening up importing to existing users could bring some dormant ones back for a second look.

The new feature could help bring users back to Path, but it may also clutter up the service and dilute Path-specific posts. For its part, Path characterizes the import as a way to “start” a journal, rather than as a way to aggregate other networks.

Personally, I want to like Path, but my feed is a ghost town with only one or two friends faithfully posting. As a result, I haven’t found room in my life for it as yet another service to have to keep up with. It could definitely pick up some momentum as friends start to fill out their journals, though.

Either way, imports should be a plus for the service. The app’s still got a ways to go before it can compete with the big guys, but it’s at least on the right path.

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