Hands On: WeatherKit for iPhone and iPad is a beautiful forecasting app for everyone

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in iOS
There is no shortage of weather apps on the App Store -- we don't want to count how many we've tried. There are great ones, and WeatherKit is among them.

WeatherKit App


You can't go wrong opting for Dark Sky, Weather Underground, or AccuWeather. They all have great features. There are so many different things that people require. Features like large amounts of data, several different live maps, extended forecasts, or instant precipitation alerts all appeal to different folks, in different ways.

WeatherKit, or Aerium as it used to be called, is meant to be a general purpose weather app for everyone. It doesn't have quite as many features as some other apps do, but it is designed to present the information that you need, clearly, accurately, and with a beautiful layout.

A walk through WeatherKit

When the app is launched, the current weather is presented amid a large, simple gradient background alongside a bit of text describing in plain English what the weather is like. Right now, ours reads "66 - It's cloudy, but still fine," for instance.

Beneath the current weather is the uppermost portion of a card with a trio of metrics presented; the current weather (again), today's forecast, and tomorrow's forecast. If swiped left on those metrics, three more forecasts are shown. A full five-day forecast cam be had, but is included with the pro service.

WeatherKit Forecast Metrics


A swipe upwards on this card brings it nearly full screen, with additional metrics available. Following the swipe, the air quality index, precipitation chance, wind speed, humidity, and the RealFeel temperature are shown.

WeatherKit Glances


Swiping to the left of the home screen brings you to glances, an elegant list of several locations that you'd like to keep track of. You are limited with the free version, but if you upgrade to WeatherKit Pro, you are able to track ten locations here. Tapping on any of them takes you back to the main screen, with all the additional metrics for that locale.

What makes WeatherKit stand out

Other than the gorgeous design and spot-on accurate data, there are two unique features in WeatherKit. There is a fun photo mode, as well as rain alerts.

WeatherKit Sample Photo


Photo mode allows you to quickly snap a pic from within the app, which then gets overlaid with a gradient, then the current weather and a phrase. A share button allows for quick posting to social media, or messaging to a buddy.

RainAlert tells you the day before it is going to rain in your area. In use, it is definitely handy. We were making plans for this Mother's Day weekend when we got an alert on Friday warning us of impending showers.

This is also a bit different than other rain predicting apps. Instead of alerting you 15 minutes before it starts, the app flags you the previous day. Both have their merits, but it can definitely be handy to alert you that your parade might get rained out the day before it happens.

WeatherKit Pro

WeatherKit Pro Features


We've outlined many of the Pro features already, and we feel they are entirely worth it.

Once upgrading to pro, you unlock 10 cities in glances, detailed weather reports, Air Quality Index, five-day forecast, as well as all other upcoming pro features.

The WeatherKit team also pledges to plant a tree for each ten paying users it gains.

WeatherKit Pro Options


Pro comes in three intervals, monthly for $.99, yearly for $8.99, and a lifetime purchase for $15.99. Normally, we aren't huge fans of subscription-based apps, but it does make sense here: you are relying on their weather services as long as you use the app, which they are billed for.

The free version of the app also comes with all the main features including the current weather, glances, photo mode, and RainAlert.

Try it out



WeatherKit is available on the App Store totally free. It has a gorgeous design, fluid animations, and extremely accurate weather data. We love not only the photo mode but the one-of-a-kind RainAlert.

FOURBOX, the dev team behind WeatherKit has already promised new upcoming features, including hourly forecasts.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
     I really don’t have that big of a problem with the weather built-in to iOS. I hear all the third-party apps are way better and have all these awesome features that I can’t live without, but Apples weather does just fine for me. Couldn’t be better? I’m sure it could be.  To me it’s like all these third-party to do, calendar, notes, finder, etc. apps. For me just more trouble than they’re worth usually.  But why, for the love of all that is sensible does Apple not build a version of their weather app for iPad?!?! 
    edited May 2018
  • Reply 2 of 19
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    cornchip said:
    Apples weather does just fine for me...   But why, for the love of all that is sensible does Apple not build a version of their weather app for iPad?!?! 
    I wonder the same thing almost daily. Even the phone app dropped directly on the iPad would be fine. I've tried a lot of third-pary apps and their all fine, but none have everything I want, which isn't very much anyway. And almost every one has adds and a fee for banishing them.

    I'll try this but I'll never buy a subscription. I may pay to get rid of ads or drop an app, but no subscription. I'll give this a try, but I don't feel AI's enthusiasm. Not yet, anyway.
    edited May 2018 cornchip
  • Reply 3 of 19
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    Couldn't find it in on my iPad's App Store until Filter > iPhone Only
    edited May 2018 cornchip
  • Reply 4 of 19
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    Free version: tried it, dumped it. What I don't like:

    Banal, preaching, 'motivational comments. 'People, let's try to be better'. <hurl>

    Location required. Can't input your city so as not to require Location Services. I 'Allowed' but didn't go to Location > WeatherKit to see if it offered While app is open or Always. A lot of apps now only offer Always or Never. If they don't offer While app is open they get dumped. WK never got that far.

    I couldn't see anyway to add cities that I want to monitor. That may only be in the Pro version.

    Notifications. WK offers them to advise you the day before of rain. Sounds good. But by this point I don't trust it not to send me a bunch of other notifications as mentioned in the Allow popup.

    Overall, there was just nothing that I liked about this app. It looks like getting anything I might have wanted requires a subscription. Hard pass.
    edited May 2018
  • Reply 5 of 19
    wlymwlym Posts: 102member
    Is there a Notification Center widget? They don't mention one on the App Store.
  • Reply 6 of 19
    Was all ready to buy and subscribe as it looks like everything I want (so far, over here in the UK only the met office app is reliable) only to find no result in search.

    why?  No iPad version.

    not for me then,
  • Reply 7 of 19
    Not getting this review: love weather apps, but weather kit isn’t offering anything new or clever & doesn’t support iPad. Recently bought an app called weathergods because I love data visualisation - its kind of quirky, but it’s lovely to look at & has a proper set of push notifications notifications and full weather sounds But it’s not even in top 20, so guess those guys don’t have much of a marketing budget, but that’s the sort of app that should be reviewed IMHO
    netmage
  • Reply 8 of 19
    I liked the free version and paid for a one month subscription, and then deleted it. Nothing special as far as I can tell. At least for where I live (Melbourne, Australia) the forecast wasn't accurate, and the five day forecast lacks any significant detail. I wrote to the developers with some suggestions and they then told me that a watch version is coming out in two weeks time (amongst other features soon to be released. I wonder why they had the big promotion now and not wait a few more weeks until it's "fleshed out" more.
  • Reply 9 of 19
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    If you can’t see your comment, you’ve violated one or more of the commenting guidelines.

    Specifically, this is not labeled as an advertisement. So, it is not that.

    So, why did it get looked at? We give our staffers a wide latitude to write about things they find and like or dislike. This is that.
    edited May 2018 GeorgeBMacpertejcbigears
  • Reply 10 of 19
    Dave KapDave Kap Posts: 60member
    I don’t like it at all. Doesn’t support iPad (no landscape mode and the horrible (1x) (2x) button you see use non iPad optimized apps on iPad.

    Also, the forced location thing is a negative.  You should be able to use your zip code like almost any other app.
    wlym
  • Reply 11 of 19
    Not quite sure what weather information this developer pays for that requires a subscription fee to maintain. All the forecasts from NOAA/NWS can be aggregated for free. Even if they need model data for international forecasts the data from the NCEP GFS is also free.

    I’m a weather enthusiast, and the Weather Underground app (free) paired with the RadarScope app (not free), is probably all you will ever need. WeatherKit is not a bad app but I’m just not sure what the subscription is actually for.
    wlym
  • Reply 12 of 19
    netmagenetmage Posts: 314member
    Well, even if they are aggregating free data sources,the aggregation isn't free it requires servers and processing unless they do it directly on the phone, and servers and bandwidth on the Internet definitely cost money.
  • Reply 13 of 19
    GHammerGHammer Posts: 52member
    Meh, I'll stick with built-in or WeatherBug. Tried the 'top' apps, Dark Sky really is the worst I've used around here. Inaccurate current weather, really off forecasts. WUnderground relies way too heavily on user weather stations. In the Summer, I see temps in the 100s because of unshielded thermometers, wind readings all over the place, and the forecasts follow. I agree that good design is a plus, but not at the expense of accurate information. None of the 'top' apps offer that, at least in my area.
  • Reply 14 of 19
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    GHammer said:
     WUnderground relies way too heavily on user weather stations. In the Summer, I see temps in the 100s because of unshielded thermometers, wind readings all over the place, and the forecasts follow. 
    I couldn't understand how WU could sometimes be so different than the Apple app or some other weather apps. This clears that up. I stopped using WU as it was often unreliable.

    I'd like to see an elegantly designed weather app instead of the accuweather style, loaded with info that I have to wade through. But entering a zip code or city is a must. No forces Location entry. And no subscriptions.
  • Reply 15 of 19
    jcbigearsjcbigears Posts: 52member

    So, why did it get looked at? We give our staffers a wide latitude to write about things they find and like or dislike. This is that.
    I guess it just surprised many of your readers of your author’s opinion. 
  • Reply 16 of 19
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    Oh dear. When the Weather App Wars last happened widespread parts of the country ended up blasted heath, littered with the bones of armchair meteorologists.
    edited May 2018
  • Reply 17 of 19
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,301member
    Based upon the article, I downloaded the app and paid $15.99 (one time purchase for life). So far, I like what it offers, but need more time to compare it to my other weather apps. 
    One correction: you swipe to the right, not the left for "Glances".
    edited May 2018
  • Reply 18 of 19
    Dave KapDave Kap Posts: 60member
    I forgot to mention in my comment that my favorite weather app is Dark Sky, followed by  Weather Line (on my iPhone).  I also use WGN-TV Weather (since I’m based in the Midwest)
  • Reply 19 of 19
    jcbigearsjcbigears Posts: 52member
    I had a test for WeatherKit and their dev team for today's forecast, made on the weekend. WeatherKit predicted cloud, but no rain, and the rain predictor did not activate. My other weather app, the BoM app, and the apple app all predicted rain. guess what?

    It's raining. Pouring

    John
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