If there’s one thing we all agree on, it’s that weather apps almost universally kind of suck. You’re often stuck choosing between a nice design and an accurate forecast. Now, “Acme Weather” is confirmed for a launch on Android, and it’s a reboot of the popular Dark Sky app that embraces the inherent uncertainty of forecasting.
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At WWDC 2022 today, Apple finally announced a Weather app for the iPad but, more importantly, a detailed WeatherKit to replace the Dark Sky API that was deprecated for Android in 2020. This new weather service will allow developers to create Android apps that use the same Dark Sky back end as before.
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Apple made a surprise acquisition of Dark Sky in March and there are signs that it’s already live in iOS 14. As part of this, the weather forecasting service is gradually being deprecated for non-Apple devices and clients. The Dark Sky shutdown is now complete for Android and Wear OS, but the website sees a reprieve.
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In March, Apple announced that it acquired Dark Sky and planned to kill the Android, as well as Wear OS, app. The app has now been removed from Google Play for new users, but it — so far — still works.
If you’ve ever looked for a good weather app, Dark Sky was probably on the list of recommendations. That’s well-deserved as the app was well built on both Android and iOS with a clean design, great features, and excellent weather forecasts too. Now, Apple has acquired Dark Sky and killed off the Android app. If, like me, that’s left you wondering what to move on to, here are the best weather apps for Android.
Besides other performance issues, Wear OS lacks a good third-party app ecosystem. The most notable launch in recent months was the company’s own revamped Fit app, which just added breathing exercises. Today, the wearable platform is getting a big addition with Dark Sky for Wear OS.