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Wow, the app that made you pay for severe weather alerts got bought by Apple? Shocker.
We all know how quickly the weather can change, and that's how fast a weather app can change, too. Dark Sky announced on March 31 that it had been bought by Apple and that its Android app will be shutting down this summer. Dark Sky even used a severe weather alert to spread the news in other apps that use Dark Sky's API, just to make sure you'd know even if you didn't use its app. Dark Sky only brought its app to Android in 2016, and honestly, I've never quite understood the hype. Dark Sky's global map is cool when tracking a hurricane or a Nor'easter, but for regular, local weather, it doesn't stack up that well.
Well, whether you liked Dark Sky's app or not, its Android app is dead now, so let's see if we can't help you find something better.
Appy Weather
If you like that little carousel with the different conditions under the Dark Sky timeline, then you'll probably be pretty happy with Appy Weather, powered by Dark Sky's API — which will keep serving existing API customers through 2021. Appy Weather is the weather app I've been using for the last 9 months or so because it's got a super-simplified card layout, it allows you to be very specific when setting your locations — my set default location is The Magic Kingdom so that I know what it feels like in the parks before I get there — and the timeline chart gives me the data I need in a more compact view.
The radar is hidden away under the layered icon in the top bar of the app, which I personally don't mind because as mentioned previously, Dark Sky's radar maps really aren't that great for local rainfall. Appy's still relatively young for a weather app and it's still in the process of adding more features and more data sources, but it's been a great app that I keep next to my Walt Disney World app so that I can check temps and rain chances before I book a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain.
Worry-free forecasts
Appy Weather
With a great UI, easy-to-understand forecasts alongside glanceable charts, and Dark Sky's data to power it all, Appy Weather is a no-nonsense weather app that's made for those of us who don't want to dig through three layers of settings to get things the way we want them.
Free (in-app purchases) at Google Play
AccuWeather
To quote myself from our Best Weather Apps roundup:
"Hyperlocal, hyper-accurate forecasting is something of a misnomer, but it's also something that's invaluable when it works. AccuWeather has MinuteCast, which gives you a to-the-minute timeline for the next two hours predicting when rain will start, stop, and how hard it will be. In places where rain can start and stop seemingly at random — like wonderful, thunder-prone Orlando — this kind of feature is ridiculously addictive, and these days before I even start packing my bag to head to the parks, I consult the MinuteCast."
Even though I rely on Appy Weather for temperature and regular conditions, when Orlando's famous 3 o'clock showers are coming to literally rain on the parade and chase crowds out of the park, MinuteCast is crucial in determining when and how I make a break for my favorite rides or for the car. AccuWeather's interface is definitely more crowded than Dark Sky, but it's reliable and perfectly usable even if you don't shell out to get rid of the ads.
MinuteCast for the win
AccuWeather
Many apps and widgets — including most preloaded manufacturer weather widgets — use AccuWeather for the same reason you should: it's dependable and damn accurate. MinuteCast is scarily accurate, and it's hard to leave AccuWeather for another weather app without it.
Free (in-app purchases) at Google Play
Today Weather
Like Appy Weather, Today Weather can pull its data from Dark Sky's API if you want to keep getting the same weather data you're used to, but it also allows you to get your data from ten different sources so you can start trying to find another source that seems as accurate for your locale. Today Weather has a more minimal look for its scrolling layout, with each page being one location that you can easily swipe through if you need to check multiple locations before packing for a business trip or multi-city vacation.
Today Weather puts data front and center that Dark Sky and Appy do not, such as the pollen and air quality. I am a chronic allergy sufferer — emphasis on suffer — so seeing that tree pollen is high and I should take an extra antihistamine is quite useful. I wish radar wasn't hiding at the bottom, but it's not hard to flick the screen and get there in a hurry if you're trying to see how long you have before your yardwork gets rained out.
Clean, dark and handsome
Today Weather
This friendly weather app will greet you by your name and then display weather information from one of the user-selectable sources including AccuWeather, Dark Sky, and Yr.no, a Norwegian forecasting service that can produce more accurate forecasts for many parts of the world that aren't America.
by Ara Wagoner