iPadOS 15: Hands-on with Apple’s Weather app for iPad

Zac Hall | Jun 16 2021 - 7:13 pm PT

iPadOS 15 is a huge leap forward for the iPad. The best features of iOS 14 like Home Screen widgets and App Library are coming to iPads. That means you can put the Weather widget directly on your Home Screen just like on the iPhone. Widgets update with new information like temperature and forecast, and tapping a widget launches the app just like tapping an icon…

Apple’s Weather app has a brand new design on iOS 15 that organizes data points like humidity and UV index into blocks. It’s really great on the iPhone at presenting a lot of information without being overwhelming.

For some reason, Apple’s Weather app on iPadOS 15 doesn’t have exactly the same design. Information is still organized into blocks, but a lot of the blocks are weirdly not about weather conditions.

The top of the Weather app for iPad includes a giant banner for a subscription version with more features and fewer ads. I missed the announcement about a paid version of the Weather app, but Apple is really into services these days so it’s no surprise.

Weird Weather+ announcement aside, the Weather app for iPad is just as useful as the new Weather app for iPhone. It’s actually even better in some ways.

The Weather app for iPad includes all the great data points like humidity, visibility, and UV index just like on the iPhone. There’s even a cool section for telling you the current phase of the Moon. How cool!

Something else unique about the Weather app for iPad is a neat tidbit about UPS. According to the Weather app for iPad, you can save 50% on global shipping with code REACH from now through July 19. I couldn’t find this curious but helpful data point on the Weather app for iPhone. Now I’m worried folks who check the weather on their iPhone are overpaying for shipping.

The perks of Apple’s Weather app for iPad don’t end there. You can confirm your suspicion that the yellow stuff covering your car is actually pollen. I live a few minutes from the beach so it’s also good to see tide levels. That’s the power of iPad, people.

The Weather app for iPad also features some really cool photo galleries of weather conditions around the world. These are attached to weather-related news stories sort of like how Stocks has business-related news stories, but stories in the iPad Weather app don’t use Apple News for some reason.

You can also learn about innovative ways to cut your grass with the Weather app on iPad. Top that, iPhone Weather app. This section of the Weather app for iPad will also stop any audio playing from your device — presumably part of the new Focus feature.

Weather news isn’t the only kind of stories you can learn about in the Weather app for iPad. There’s an adorable puppy story, a suggestion for attaching a pop-up tent to your car, and something about turning your room into a fridge. Fascinating!

Some of Apple’s Weather app for iPad is particularly not very Apple-y, but this is definitely Apple’s Weather app for iPad. It launches every time you tap the Weather widget, and that’s just how widgets work. It also mentions data vendors and controlling your data. Apple is all about empowering you to own your data and preventing companies from profiting from your information.

I tried to learn more about the subscription to Apple’s Weather app for iPad, but I couldn’t find any information about it on Apple’s website. Is it included in the Apple One bundle?

I’m not sure, but you can use promo code SUMMER to get access for $1/month for 90 days before the price jumps to $5/month! The fine print for the subscription mistakenly mentions something about a website, but this is definitely the Weather app for iPad.

And before you try to tell me this isn’t the Weather app for iPad, hear me out. The Weather widget launches the Weather app on iPhone, and I’m certain the Weather widget launches the Weather app on iPad. That’s just how widgets work!

The Weather app for iPhone has some cool new features this year like precipitation alerts, but Apple will probably add those to the Weather for iPad app next year. That’s how widgets worked, after all, right?