As we announced a few months ago, the weather application Dark Sky, acquired by Apple in 2020, will be permanently closing in less than two weeks. While there are a number of popular alternatives, Apple has released a new support document explaining why Dark Sky users had to switch to the native weather app on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Dark Sky’s shutdown is imminent
In the support document, Apple points out that many Dark Sky features “have been integrated into Apple Weather.” The company says this includes things like expected hyperlocales for your current location, including next hour’s rainfall, expected timings for the next 10 days, high-resolution radar, and notifications.
The rest of the support document aims to guide Dark Sky users through the features and design of the app that ships with iOS 16. Apple details the app’s various features, using maps, managing notices, etc.
However, despite Apple’s promises, some users are not convinced that Apple’s app can replace Dark Sky. In a recent Reddit thread, a number of Dark Sky users claim that the native app still lags Dark Sky in terms of data, notifications, etc.
What interests me the most are the usual real-time ones – like “it will stop raining in 10 minutes and then start again in 45 minutes”. I found Dark Sky to be excellent for this. Apple is a little less so. This link is not for the type of buyer I am interested in. (Which I can use to help me decide exactly when to commute by bike…often waiting 15 minutes to leave can make a big difference).
I dread January 1st. Dark Sky has been my favorite weather app for many years. I’m trying to get used to Weather, but it doesn’t give me what I need without using drop-down menus. Not to mention the lack of notifications of weather events.
But keep in mind that the reliability of each weather app can vary wildly from place to place. Much of the Apple Weather app is based on data from Dark Sky, so there’s little reason for the app to be any less accurate than the latter was.
In fact, one Reddit user even points out that Dark Sky was “notoriously notorious for being inaccurate in most places.” There are a number of other factors that go into the reliability of weather data and notifications, and it’s important to try several different apps to get an idea of which one is most accurate to your location.
This may be a YMMV type situation. I migrated from Dark Sky to Apple’s weather app and the weather alerts seem pretty accurate to me. It feels like Apple has simply integrated Dark Sky’s core functionality into its standard weather app while ditching its user interface.
Dark Sky is due to close on January 1, 2023. If you are looking for a replacement solution, consider the native application, but also AccuWeather, Yahoo Weather or The Weather Channel.
Download the free app Weather report
