Apple Acquires Weather App Dark Sky

[MacRumors]

Apple has acquired weather app Dark Sky, Dark Sky's developers announced today. Dark Sky is one of the most popular weather apps on the App Store, known for its accuracy and storm warnings.

Our goal has always been to provide the world with the best weather information possible, to help as many people as we can stay dry and safe, and to do so in a way that respects your privacy.

There is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to reach far more people, with far more impact, than we ever could alone.

There will be no changes to the Dark Sky for iOS app, and it will continue to be available for purchase in the App Store. Apple does not appear to be making the app free at this time, and it continues to be priced at $3.99.

In the future, Apple could be planning to build Dark Sky into its own weather app, which relies on data from The Weather Channel at this time.

Dark Sky features include minute-by-minute weather predictions based on precise location, hour-by-hour weather forecasts for the next day and week, detailed weather animations, and advanced notification updates that include down-to-the-minute alerts before rain starts and severe weather alerts. The app also includes a Today Widget, a Time Machine feature so you can see weather in the past or present, and an Apple Watch app.

Dark Sky for Android and Wear OS is being discontinued on July 1, 2020. The website's weather forecasts, maps, and embeds will be available until July 1, 2020, and the website itself will remain available in support of API and iOS app customers.

Dark Sky says its API service for existing customers is not changing, but new signups will no longer be accepted. The API will work through the end of 2021, but after that time, developers will need to find another solution. The end of Dark Sky's API will impact other popular weather apps like Carrot, which uses the Dark Sky API.

Article Link: Apple Acquires Weather App Dark Sky

 

[Master Atrus]

All I can ask is ... why? Needed the developer talent?

 

[midkay]

Any chance this will integrate with iOS and replace the default app? Or at least become free for iOS users?

 

[gsmornot]

Now that is a twist for a news story. I never would have guessed I would see that coming either. Must want to integrate more of the data into the default weather app. Hmm is all I can say.

 

[anthb]

Ha ha ha. We want to help as many people as we can. Just not Android (any more) $$$$

I use it. It’s meh. It used to be better than meh. For some reason it’s now rather flaky. It’s part of my “which 3 apps agree” apps.

 

[DaJé Barbour]

Well maybe we’ll finally get an iPad weather app.

 

[Misho Maisuradze]

well, they made a mistake, if they wanted the best weather app they should of have bought Windy!

 

[juanomatic]

All I can ask is ... why? Needed the developer talent?

I would guess that Apple didn't want to depend on the Weather Channel for weather data.

I wish Apple would buy the Transit app and bake it into Maps. Their bike directions are pretty good and especially useful in the Age of the Virus.

 

[kuwxman]

Great... They bought the most overhyped weather app on the App Store.

"known for its accuracy"

Sorry. I can't catch my breath from laughing so much.

edit: Keep giving those thumbsdown. Each person below that did has bought in to the Dark Sky marketing. Neither your phone or their API can give you a real-time hyperlocal forecast.

 

[anshuvorty]

I never would've expected this. This must be an acqui-hire for sure. The devs are talented for sure and Apple loves bringing on talented folks across the industry...

 

[IIGS User]

Any chance this will integrate with iOS and replace the default app? Or at least become free for iOS users?

I hope so. The iOS weather app isn't the best around.

 

[mthomas184]

Great... They bought the most overhyped weather app on the App Store.

"known for its accuracy"

Sorry. I can't catch my breath from laughing so much.

May not be accurate for you but it sure is for me.

 

[Internet Enzyme]

That news about the API sounds problematic for apps like Carrot Weather.

 

[DrwMDvs]

please please please! give us an actually useful weather app with radar.

 

[yearoftherat]

Was never available for us north of the border. Maybe one day.

 

[NoSoup4U]

For the last week, I've been annoyed by the weather app on my iPad.

And I'd really like something like the old widget Radar In Motion.

 

[unsynaps]

Well maybe we’ll finally get an iPad weather app.

iPad still has no weather app? What?

Sorry haven't had an iPad or really used one since the first one.

 

[mannyvel]

Great news. DS has worked really well for me, though I doubt I'm going to get anything from this purchase.

Maybe we'll all get refunds?

The good thing is that Apple now has some more engineering talent. I think DS was the pioneer in real-time localized weather, so Apple can recycle that for other things maybe.

 

[Nimrad]

iPad still has no weather app? What?

Sorry haven't had an iPad or really used one since the first one.

Weather is one thing, it doesn’t even have a calculator app..

 

[xxray]

I hope this doesn’t mean that Apple will get rid of the design of the stock weather app. I have yet to find another app that provides the weather data I need but in a simple, clean, non-complicated design.

All the other weather apps are just a hot garbage mess of complications and ads (depending on what app) that make things too cluttered and complicated.

 

[TheDailyApple]

This was...unexpected. I love DS, so I hope this turns out for the best.

 

[fmillion]

I literally paid for the Android version last week.

This is what pisses me off. I'm OK with Apple owning stuff. I'm hugely against the fact that literally the first thing they do after acquiring an app is to discontinue any version that runs on something not made by Apple.

Would it really hurt Apple to keep an Android version around and charge a fee for it? Wouldn't it make more sense (and even bring in more profit) to simply say "Free for iOS users; Android users pay $1.99/month" or something? I know this would produce its own rage posts, but it'd be better than just saying "screw you, Android". Another option would be just making it the "default" Weather app on iOS and even calling it Weather, but maintaining it on Android as Dark Sky (with accompanying purchase costs).

 

[konqerror]

All I can ask is ... why? Needed the developer talent?

Dark Sky isn't merely a weather app. It is a proprietary weather model that takes NOAA Doppler radar data and extrapolates it over the short term to create highly local minute-scale forecasts of rain, something that would be highly desirable for Watch users.

Was never available for us north of the border. Maybe one day.

The problem is your country's weather radar network is literally 30 years behind the US. NOAA upgraded to the more accurate S-band radar in 1988, whereas Canada began the upgrade in 2018.

 

[Cmd-Z]

May not be accurate for you but it sure is for me.

Depends on where you live ... if your weather is 'boring' then it's very accurate, but if your the weather where you live changes by the hour then of course it will be less accurate.

 

[TheDailyApple]

I hope this doesn’t mean that Apple will get rid of the design of the stock weather app. I have yet to find another app that provides the weather data I need but in a simple, clean, non-complicated design.

All the other weather apps are just a hot garbage mess of complications and ads (depending on what app) that make things too cluttered and complicated.

Well it would seem you haven’t come across Dark Sky yet.