Alternative to DarkSky on Android?

GeX

GeX

GeX

Soldato
Joined
17 Dec 2002
Posts
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Location
Manchester
I've used DarkSky on Android for my weather app for years. I'm still annoyed that Apple bought them and they're killing the API and Android version.. anyway..

Has anyone found a suitable replacement? I basically want exactly what DarkSky currently does.
Simple, uncluttered widget showing up coming rain.
Radar view of rain overlayed on map in app.
2 hour breakdown of weather conditions throughout the day
Notifications that can be set for rain starting, high UV index and low temperature over periods of time
 
GeX said:
I've used DarkSky on Android for my weather app for years. I'm still annoyed that Apple bought them and they're killing the API and Android version.. anyway..

Has anyone found a suitable replacement? I basically want exactly what DarkSky currently does.
Simple, uncluttered widget showing up coming rain.
Radar view of rain overlayed on map in app.
2 hour breakdown of weather conditions throughout the day
Notifications that can be set for rain starting, high UV index and low temperature over periods of time
Click to expand...

i currently use 1weather premium.
 
Just as Dark Sky is pulled, AccuWeather ups their game and refreshes their app. It has a look ahead feature (used to be called minutecast) which give a 2 hours forecast.
 
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benparker said:
What's so good about it? How long will you be looking at the app? I'm stick to BBC weather.
Click to expand...

I won't spend long looking at it, that's the point. No stupid animations of drawings of clouds / sun. Dark Sky lets users opt into use their device's barometer to crowdsource air pressure data, and combine with their radar data it was a very accurate rain forecast. I had a widget on my home screen showing the next hour, and it meant I could glance at my phone and know if it was going to rain much / for how long.

Conversely the BBC Weather app is just 2 hour blocks with a picture of differing angry looking clouds and a % risk iirc.

I'm currently using https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noaimgames.shadowweather&hl=en_GB
 
Met Office (who used to do BBC weather before the Meteo Group came along with their wildly inaccurate forecasts for near me) and Weather Underground, former for longer term and latter for realtime.
 
benparker said:
What's so good about it? How long will you be looking at the app? I'm stick to BBC weather.
Click to expand...

Dark Sky is a hyper localised forecast over a short period. I don't look at the app much, all useful information is pushed to me.

One example recently, I was out walking, Dark Sky give me a notification that rain was about to start in x mins in my location. So I planned accordingly and when the rain started, I got another notification that rain will stop in x mins, so I took shelter and waited it out.

SM4S2m6.png
 
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I keep getting ads for Climacell on Instagram. Selling themselves as a direct replacement for Dark Sky but I haven't tried it...
 
The thing is, the Dark Sky API that powers a lot of these apps is still running till Apple close that next year, but there was more to it than just poking the API.

They'll all expire when the API dies too
 
I didn't use dark sky on Android but now the BBC weather app has proven itself to be next to useless for where I live I'm reminded of an old app I used to have.
The main useful bit was that it would tell me if it was going to rain within the next 180 mins a d how long it would last... But can't for the live of me remember which one it was and why I removed it. Possibly AccuWeather?
 
I’ve got two solutions in mind as I rely on this app that much:
1) Buy the cheapest, tattiest iPhone I can find, purchase an apple watch cellular and install the app on that
2) Switch over fully to iOS

I’m leaning towards option 2 as the Pixel 5 doesn’t look that promising this year.
 
Rimsy said:
I didn't use dark sky on Android but now the BBC weather app has proven itself to be next to useless for where I live I'm reminded of an old app I used to have.
The main useful bit was that it would tell me if it was going to rain within the next 180 mins a d how long it would last... But can't for the live of me remember which one it was and why I removed it. Possibly AccuWeather?
Click to expand...

It was AccuWeather and called MinuteCast, its still there in the app but renamed to 'Looking ahead'

uvarvu said:
I’ve got two solutions in mind as I rely on this app that much:
1) Buy the cheapest, tattiest iPhone I can find, purchase an apple watch cellular and install the app on that
2) Switch over fully to iOS

I’m leaning towards option 2 as the Pixel 5 doesn’t look that promising this year.
Click to expand...

I'm also thinking of switching to iPhone due to Dark Sky but want to see what the next iPhone brings first. But paying that much for a phone is really holding me back.
 
The SE is looking tempting, but I need to know more about the camera I think. I had a Pixel 2 (now have an XL) so think I can see past the chin/forehead of the older design :D
 
GeX said:
The SE is looking tempting, but I need to know more about the camera I think. I had a Pixel 2 (now have an XL) so think I can see past the chin/forehead of the older design :D
Click to expand...
I have the SE (amazing phone for the price) and thanks to this thread I’ve just downloaded darksky. Love that it tells you exactly when it’s going to rain (by the hour from what I can see) so I can time my lunch around the weather :D
 
Mobius 1 said:
I have the SE (amazing phone for the price) and thanks to this thread I’ve just downloaded darksky. Love that it tells you exactly when it’s going to rain (by the hour from what I can see) so I can time my lunch around the weather :D
Click to expand...

Yeeeeap, you're on the list now *gets out little book*
 
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