The Weather Channel

This one might sound crazy at first. After all, weather apps feel harmless. But that’s exactly why they often get more access than they should. The Weather Channel is useful, but, like many weather apps over the years, it has become an app that tends to collect precise location data. 

To be more specific, it’s been reported that The Weather Channel collected users’ precise location constantly without the users’ permission. There have even been lawsuits against the company related to this issue. 

Of course, a weather app does need some location information to be useful, but not every user wants that information to be constantly tracked and collected so the company behind the app can sell it to advertisers.

Location data is uniquely sensitive because it can reveal where you sleep, work, travel, and spend time regularly. That’s a lot to hand over to an app many people open just to check if it’s going to rain later. The privacy risk is more about what precise location can imply when it’s collected and used within a broader data system.

For Apple users, Apple Weather is the easiest alternative. It an integrated part of iOS 26, feels simpler, and is the more privacy-conscious default choice.