Apple has acquired the popular weather app Dark Sky. The acquisition was confirmed by an announcement by Dark Sky’s developers on Tuesday. The weather app is one of the most popular weather apps on the App Store and is well-known for its accurate weather predictions and up-to-the-minute storm warnings and information.
Today we have some important and exciting news to share: Dark Sky has joined Apple.
Our goal has always been to provide the world with the best weather information possible, to help as many people as we can stay dry and safe, and to do so in a way that respects your privacy.
There is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to reach far more people, with far more impact, than we ever could alone.
Dark Sky offers forecasts for a user’s precise location, providing minute-by-minute predictions for the next hour and hour-by-hour forecasts for the next day and week. The app also offers a widget for the iPhone Today screen and also includes an Apple Watch app and complication.
The Dark Sky app for iOS won’t be seeing any immediate changes and will continue to be available in the App Store for $3.99. While Apple often makes an app free in the store when they acquire it, they haven’t as yet done so for Dark Sky.
Apple’s current stock Weather app uses data from The Weather Channel, so it’s likely Apple will include Dark Sky features in the Weather app in a future version.
The acquisition is bad news for Android users, as Dark Sky for Android and Wear OS will no longer be available for download. Service to existing users and subscribers will continue until July 1, 2020, at which point the app will be shut down. Subscribers who are still active at that time will receive a refund.
Dark Sky’s API service for existing customers is not changing, but the service will no longer accept new signups. The API will continue to function through the end of 2021.