As we covered in-depth yesterday, the Dark Sky weather app that Apple acquired in 2020 is set to officially shut down in less than two weeks. While there are a number of popular alternatives out there, Apple has published a new support document detailing why it thinks Dark Sky users should make the jump to the stock Weather app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Dark Sky shutdown looms
In the support document, Apple touts that many of Dark Sky’s features “have been integrated into Apple Weather.” The company says this includes things like hyperlocal forecasts for your current location, including next-hour precipitation, hourly forecasts for the next 10 days, high-resolution radar, and notifications.
The rest of the support document is focused on guiding Dark Sky users through the features and design of the Apple Weather app. Apple breaks down the different features of the app, how to use the maps, managing notifications, and more.
Despite Apple’s promises, however, some users aren’t convinced that Apple Weather is a suitable replacement for Dark Sky. In a recent thread on Reddit, a number of Dark Sky users say that Apple Weather still lags behind Dark Sky in terms of data, notifications, and more.
What I’m most interested in is the real time forecast – like “it’ll stop raining in 10 minutes then pick up again in 45 minutes”. I found Dark Sky to be great at that. Apple is so-so. This link is not about the kind of forecast I’m interested in. (Which I can use to help decide exactly when I should bike commute.. often, waiting to leave by 15 minutes can make a big difference)
I’m dreading Jan. 1st. Dark Sky has been my go-to wx app for many years. I’m trying to get used to Weather, but it just doesn’t give me what I need without using drop-down menus. Not to mention zero notifications of weather events.
But one thing to keep in mind is that the reliability of every weather app can vary wildly from one location to another. Much of the Apple Weather app is based on Dark Sky data, so there’s little reason that the app should be less accurate than the Dark Sky app was.
In fact, one Reddit user even points out that Dark Sky was “notorious for being inaccurate for most locations.” There are a number of other factors that play into the reliability of weather data and notifications, and it’s important to try multiple different apps to get a feel for which is most accurate at your location.
This might be a YMMV type of situation. I’ve migrated over to the stock apple weather app from dark sky and the weather alerts seem pretty accurate for me. It feels like Apple simply integrated Dark Sky’s core functionality into its stock weather app while discarding its UI.
Dark Sky is set to shut down on January 1, 2023. If you’re looking for a replacement, check out our full guide right here. If you’re still a Dark Sky user, what are your plans come the new year? Let us know down in the comments.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments