Use the Updated AccuWeather App for Accurate Dark Sky Forecasts
Android: As annoyed as I am that Dark Sky will no longer have a home on Android from August 1st, the pain has eased slightly thanks to other big weather players – I hardly use that phrase – by offering similar Services. Or at least that’s what AccuWeather is trying to do in the latest redesign of its app, which launched yesterday.
Before we get to meteorology, let me turn to the elephant in the room: AccuWeather is full of ads. It’s annoying, it makes the UI look bad – even after the redesign – and it will cost you at least $ 9 a year to remove them. I know you need to make that money, AccuWeather, but there is certainly a way to include ads that won’t make your app look like a 90s-era Geocities page.
Since you are reading this the day after the AccuWeather update hit Google Play, and about a week after it hit the App Store, chances are good that you downloaded and installed the updated version. If you’re unsure, here’s a quick way to find out. The old version looked like this:
Ugh. The new version looks like this:
It is better. (But then again, this ad .)
If you’re curious as to why this sunny design is at the center of the app, this is the new AccuWeather feature “at a glance” that notifies you of upcoming rainfall that is about to hit your area and / or head without an umbrella. Since I live in Silicon Valley and it’s summer now, it’s very boring to watch. However, if you live in a place that really knows what rain is, here’s what this giant circle might look like from time to time:
While I don’t like the design, it’s at least easy to read if you think of it as a watch face. If rain is not expected in your area anytime soon, you will not see anything. However, you can click on the giant circle for a more readable forecast for the next two hours, which, if AccuWeather is accurate (read: successful), will tell you to the minute when you might see rain:
Dark sky? Still would. I would definitely check with AccuWeather to see if I should grab an umbrella or jacket before heading out to lunch. One fatal flaw with the AccuWeather update, however, is that the app doesn’t yet include those adorable, ubiquitous Dark Sky notifications that alert you when rain is coming. However, AccuWeather is aware of this, so hopefully this feature will appear in the near future.
In addition, you can darken the AccuWeather app as part of the new update. Just open its settings and look for the new “Display Mode” option that will let you set a dark or black theme, or let the app match what you’ve set for your system-wide Android theme.
That’s all. Well, as well as a new bottom navigation bar that makes it easy to switch between daily summary, hourly weather and live radar.
While I’m still not crazy about these ads (or the cost of removing them), at least AccuWeather provides a decent replacement for Dark Sky – provided its predictions are good and accurate for your location . As soon as these notifications appear, it gets even better. At the very least, you will be able to immediately understand whether to take an umbrella with you when you go outside.