Apple will shut down popular Dark Sky for Android. Use these weather apps instead

Well, this is a bummer. Popular weather app Dark Sky announced on Tuesday it has been acquired by Apple. But that’s not the sad part — it’s fantastic news for the Dark Sky team. What is sad is that, as part of the deal, Apple will shut down the Dark Sky Android app on July 1, 2020. Ugh. 

Dark Sky has over one million installs, according to its Play store listing. Many people just like me who’ve come to rely on and expect timely push alerts just before it begins to rain or snow are going to need to find a weather app replacement this summer. 

To be clear, you can keep using Dark Sky on your Android phone right now. It’ll continue to work for a few more months. According to Dark Sky, if you’re still signed up for the app’s subscription service on July 1, you’ll receive a refund. 

Below are three apps you can replace Dark Sky with, and surely there’ll be more releases leading up to the app’s sunset. Some suggestions below even use Dark Sky’s data, which Apple has promised will continue working through the end of 2021. So while the Dark Sky app itself will be shut down, you can still take advantage of the same information, just in another form. 

I’m going to keep digging through the countless weather apps listed in the Play store, and will add more apps to this list as we get closer to the July 1 deadline. 

Appy Weather

Appy Weather is powered by Dark Sky’s API, but presents it in a totally different, and cleaner, format. It’s akin to your Twitter feed, but instead of random memes, the feed includes periodic weather updates and sunrise/sunset time in expandable cards that provide more information in the main timeline view. You can also view the forecast in hourly or daily increments. 

I like the minimal feel of Appy, and scrolling through the forecast has a natural feel to it. Appy is free to use its basic features, or $3.99 a year to unlock all features including widgets, notifications, radar and remove ads.

Weather Underground

Weather Underground takes a hyper-local approach to weather forecasting, leveraging data from personal weather stations. With access to over 250,000 stations, Weather Underground is able to create its own forecasts and provide weather information that you may find more accurate to your specific location, instead of other apps that apply an overall forecast to a city. In fact, I have my own weather station feeding into Weather Underground’s data set. 

You can use Weather Underground for free, or pay $19.99 a year/$3.99 a month to unlock premium features like smart forecasts, extended hourly forecasts and remove ads. 

Fu*** Weather (Funny Weather)

If you’re looking for a weather app with a bit of personality, Fu*** Weather is it. Instead of just presenting numbers and percentages, Fu*** Weather uses an entertaining mix of weather jargon and curse words to motivate you to get outside or warn you of horrible weather in the forecast. Fu*** Weather uses a combination of Dark Sky and Aeris Weather for its data. 

The app is free to download and use, with in-app purchases removing ads and unlocking more features like updating the forecast more often. 

While you’re cooped up inside, it’s worth the time to set up mirroring your Android device to your TV. Trying to get the hang of Android 10’s gestures? We have a complete guide, along with details about the rest of Android 10’s new features.