Dark Sky is no more, at least for Android users. After Apple’s acquisition of Dark Sky, the popular weather app is being pulled from the Google Play Store and will cease working for Android smartphones and Wear OS devices on July 1. This leaves Android users in the dark (pun intended) when it comes to getting reliable weather forecasts and updates on their phones. Thankfully, there are plenty of worthwhile Dark Sky alternatives for Android, many of which are often more accurate than Dark Sky.
Additionally, many of them provide the kind of local weather forecasts that Dark Sky prided itself on, and they also don’t ask for unnecessary permissions or harvest needless amounts of personal data. Android users may mourn the passing of Dark Sky for now — it will live on for Apple users, likely in iOS 14 — but we will learn to love another Android weather app instead. Here are some of the best alternatives.
The Weather Channel
In a study of forecasts made between 2010 and 2017, ForecastWatch found that The Weather Channel provided the most accurate forecasts of any Android weather app. As such, the app should be one of your first ports of call when looking for the best Dark Sky alternatives.
Not only is The Weather Channel accurate, but it’s also free. Importantly, the app automatically updates its forecasts based on your location, providing hourly forecasts across the next two days, as well as the weather for the next 15 days. You can also switch on notifications for weather alerts, while it also offers exclusive videos and content, such as its six-minute morning weather program “The Lift.”
Today Weather
Looking almost like something developed by Apple, Today Weather is a very beautifully designed weather app that’s simple to use. Its user interface is clean and readable, providing local weather info on the current temperature, conditions, and cloud level. It also offers more finely grained detail on humidity, air quality, UV index, and pollen count. Importantly, its forecasts are usually very accurate, coming from the National Weather Service in the U.S., as well as from a range of other sources.
Usefully, Today Weather sends out alerts for strong wind and heavy rain, in addition to a variety of other severe weather events. For those who like to visualize their weather in more detail, it comes with a radar that can be used to see precipitation and how it’s moving across your town, region, and nation. It also lets you add a quick-view widget forecast.
AccuWeather
AccuWeather is a great Dark Sky alternative for anyone who wants their weather forecasts to be detailed. It offers a feature called MinuteCast, which details how weather conditions will change from minute to minute over the next two hours. The app also provides users with hourly forecasts across the coming three days, and a helpful 15-day daily forecast.
AccuWeather also gives users a wide selection of additional weather info. For example, it provides updates on severe weather events, allergies, sunrise and sunset times, as well as local weather reports that can be personalized. AccuWeather’s own news team also post weather videos, which provide a nice audiovisual summary of the news, saving you the need to check various pieces of data yourself.
Flowx
If you want to visualize the weather regardless of where you are in the world, then Flowx is the Dark Sky alternative for you. Its intuitive swipe gestures let you quickly animate the week’s coming weather, encompassing info on temperature, wind speed and direction, pressure, cloud cover, humidity, and much more.
One of Flowx’s very welcome additional features is that it lets you plan for a range of activities likely to be affected by future weather, such as flying, fishing, cycling, sailing, and walking. What’s more, while the free version provides enough features and info for most purposes, the premium (“Pro”) version provides even more data to add to your forecasts, as well as a 10-day outlook.
Appy Weather
Appy Weather bills itself as the most “personal” weather app you could possibly use. Why? Well, it presents its forecasts in more plainspoken and casual language than other apps, while its use of a timeline to present updated weather info makes its packaging of data more digestible.
Still, if you prefer more traditional weather bulletins, Appy Weather lets you check hourly and daily forecasts, as well as 48-hour and weekly outlines. Not only that, but it protects your privacy by asking at setup whether you want to check your local weather automatically by location.
All in all, it’s a very neat and tidy alternative to Dark Sky. However, it does make use of Dark Sky’s API, something which won’t be possible for Android weather apps from 2021. Fortunately, Appy Weather’s makers say they’re in the process of deciding on a replacement data source.
Weather Underground
Weather Underground (or Wunderground) is one of the longest-running weather apps available for Android, and given that it promises “hyperlocal weather maps,” it’s a natural Dark Sky alternative. Its basic interface provides you with an overview of current weather conditions, covering temperature, rain, and wind speed and direction. It also lets you zoom into your local area so that you can take a closer look at what’s happening in your town or city. On top of this, it offers weather alerts and storm radar, as well as info on humidity, pressure, air quality, UV levels, and sunset and sunrise times.
Most of Wundergound’s features are free to use. However, for $20 per year (or $4 per month), you can access its premium membership. A subscription grants you access to Smart Forecasts, which tell you when the weather is ideal for outdoor activities. The paid version also removes all ads and provides hourly forecasts for up to 10 days in advance.
Fu*** Weather (Funny Weather)
Weather apps serve a purpose, but if you find standard weather apps a little too dry and humorless, this might be the perfect solution. Fu*** Weather (Funny Weather) could be the Dark Sky alternative you’ve been waiting for. Basically, its summaries of the latest Weather read as if they came from friends with foul mouths. Yes, that’s right. Reading expletives in weather reports may not be everyone’s cup of tea, of course. But if you tend to curse when it starts raining, then Fu*** Weather may suit you just fine.
Fu*** is a solid app for Weather if you can get past the humor and profanity. This app provides current coverage of your local Weather in addition to hourly and weekly forecasts. It also includes satellite and radar maps with in-depth detail. Think of these details like added tips on temperature conditions, humidity, and wind to assist you as you plan your day (or week). The app also offers the option to add your local Weather as a widget on your home screen. Its customizable notifications are another useful feature.
Most of the features come with the free version, but there’s also a subscription option. Premium subscribers gain access to a two-week detailed forecast (instead of the free one-week version). Unfortunately, Dark Sky isn’t available for Android users anymore, as much as you may like it. With these alternatives, though, it might be easier to move on than you thought. Finding the perfect weather app for your Android is as easy as downloading an option from this list and giving it a test drive.
You might be surprised to find a weather app that you like better than Dark Sky, so just maybe Apple did you a favor. For our favorite and longest-running Android-based weather app, try Wunderground. It’s a solid replacement for Dark Sky and has an easy-to-read interface. Plus, Weather Underground provides weather data to tons of third-party apps, so you might as well get your data from the source.
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