Google might ask you if it’s raining as part of weather crowdsourcing

Abner Li | Jun 28 2023 - 9:22 am PT

Google Weather is due for a big upgrade on Android that brings a Material You redesign and Nowcast. Until it drops Pixel Tablet and Fold exclusivity, Google is also updating other parts of the experience and crowdsourcing weather conditions.

Besides the Google Weather “app” on Android, you can see weather as a Search result by looking up that query or tapping a notification. Google is now working to modernize that UI with the redesigned card it first introduced for Google Search on mobile web (browsers) last December.

Weather results that appear in the Google Search app are accompanied by a Froggy background. The updated “Now” section takes after the upcoming Material You redesign. Meanwhile, you get carousels for Overview, Precipitation, Wind, and Humidity at the bottom. Carousel lets you swipe through the hourly and daily forecasts. This is not yet widely rolled out.

Current vs. new

Also notable is that Google Search might ask users about the current weather condition as part of a crowdsourcing effort. It might be as simple as: “Is it raining now?” “Yes” and “No” are the options, with this intended to “provide feedback on the current weather in your location.” It won’t appear every time, while the “Thanks, glad you’re dry for now” is a nice response/touch.

Google says this feedback helps it “monitor the quality of weather results and update the data.”

Search does similar things when you search for an earthquake immediately after one has occurred. It’s a good way to leverage the many devices out there to improve weather for everyone.