6 Advanced Weather Apps for iPhone You Have to Try
Apple’s default Weather app for iOS has been with us since the beginning. It features beautiful imagery, is easy to use, and is overall a great tool for knowing what to expect from Mother Nature’s playbook. But sometimes you want something a little more robust, or to try something fresh.
Like many stock apps, the Weather app can be removed to make way for something new. Here are six great alternatives for the meteorologist in all of us.
6 CARROT Weather
CARROT is a weather app with attitude. It’s customizable personality lets you experience your forecast like never before. With interactions ranging from professional, to kind of snarky, to full on inappropriate, you’re sure to enjoy having CARROT around.
The app’s dialogue changes with the weather and allows you to customize the conversation. There is a section to choose your political preferences and you can receive rain and snow warnings right down to the minute. Additionally, CARROT’s radar view gives you real-time weather updates so you can watch the storms move across your location.
Achievements can be unlocked for traveling the world or experiencing different weather—such as entering a tornado or fire zone. You can find “secret locations.” And with Time Travel, you can check out the weather for any day in history; all the way back to 1948.
CARROT costs $4.99 to download and has Premium and Ultrapremium subscriptions that enable Apple Watch notifications and complications, app customization, background updates, and more. The Apple Watch complication even shows the temperature and weather conditions as one, which is a nice upgrade from Apple Weather’s two separate complications.
Who Is It For?
Anyone who wants crazy detailed weather forecasts and Apple Watch support. Users who want to be occasionally insulted by their weather app won’t find a better app than this.
Highlights and Features
- Customizable personality.
- Apple Watch support.
- Weather alerts.
- Time Travel feature.
- Radar.
- Unlockable achievements.
- Hourly forecasts up to one week.
- AR mode.
5 The Weather Channel
Apple’s Weather app pulls its forecast information from The Weather Channel. But sometimes it’s better to go straight to the source. Which is probably why this app is the most downloaded weather app.
With The Weather Channel’s simple-to-use, detailed app users can see a variety of information and news regarding the weather. The app even includes support for Apple TV.
The app includes alerts for extreme weather from the National Weather Service. And additional alerts include real-time rain, lightening strikes—which allows you to track the most recent strikes—and an air quality report. The app also reports the current pollen count.
The app includes Apple Watch support and notifications. There are detailed radar maps and a whole section of live videos to view current weather reports; including, breaking weather news. The one-page layout makes the app easy-to-navigate and can help reduce the time it takes for users to get their daily update.
The app is free to download and users can make a onetime purchase of $3.99 to remove ads.
Who Is It For?
Someone who wants detailed, straightforward weather information in a single-page scrolling format. People who want a more traditional weather experience that also works with Apple TV.
Highlights and Features
- Weather forecasts for the next 15 days.
- Simple, quick view of current and weekly weather.
- Notifications for extreme weather.
- Alerts for rain, lightning, pollen, and air quality.
- Apple Watch support.
- Apple TV app.
- Radar.
- Live weather coverage.
4 WeatherBug - Radar, Forecast
Weather fanatics are sure to love this detailed weather app packed full of data sources and useful features.
WeatherBug has detailed information on air quality, pollen count, UV index, sunrise and sunset, and more. If you like weather maps, you’ll love this app. Maps for live lightning strikes, radar (and future radar), live storm tracking, air quality, pollen, cloud coverage, precipitation, humidity, heat index and wind chill, wind speed… okay you get it. It’s all here and it’s all very detailed.
Whether you’re Benjamin Franklin looking for the perfect lightning strike or an avid sufferer of allergies looking to avoid pollen, this app has you covered. But if you need more, there’s still more. WeatherBug has live, local weather cameras, Apple Watch support, and more.
The app can be downloaded for free. And it’s just $2.99 per year to remove ads.
Who Is It For?
True weather nerds. People who want it all and more. Al Roker would probably find this app useful in his neck of the woods.
Highlights and Features
- Air quality.
- Closest lightning strikes.
- Live weather cameras.
- UV index.
- Pollen count.
- Local weather photos.
- Apple Watch support.
- Hourly forecast and 10-day forecast.
- Interactive maps.
- More interactive maps.
- Even more apps.
- Al Roker not included.
3 Yahoo Weather
Yahoo Weather received the 2013 Apple Design Award and for good reason: Amazing background photos. The stunning photos in this app match your location and change to match the time of day.
The app also includes various interactive weather maps for things like radar, heat, and precipitation. There’s even an animated sunrise and sunset.
Yahoo Weather includes support for Apple Watch and allows users to display current temperature, wind speed, or sunrise and sunset on their watch face. The app is detailed and can be customized to a user’s preferences.
Perhaps best of all, the app is free to download and doesn’t have in-app purchases. Unfortunately it also has ads that can’t be removed.
Who Is It For?
Anyone who enjoys a simple app with beautiful imagery. Not for people who dislike ads.
Highlights and Features
- Animated weather.
- 10-day forecast.
- Radar.
- Notifications.
- Apple Watch support.
- UV index.
- Visibility data.
- Pressure index.
- Notifications sent twice daily.
2 AccuWeather
One of the more alluring weather apps on the App Store, AccuWeather features full-screen weather animations that look incredible on the iPhone X. In fact, the app is very similar to Apple’s own weather app at first glance, but start tapping and swiping and it instantly becomes an elaborate, treasure trove of information.
In fact, AccuWeather has it all. Down to the minute weather conditions. Animated sunrise and sunset. Weather news. Videos. Allergy information. Radar map. And more. Users can also customize locations and notifications.
Like the others, AccuWeather offers Apple Watch support and even has support for Apple TV.
AccuWeather is free to download and users can opt to pay $3.99 for a 25-day forecast and remove ads.
Who Is It For?
People who want a lot of information, but something that looks like Apple’s Weather app at first glance.
Highlights and Features
- Radar.
- Allergy information.
- Apple Watch support.
- Apple TV support.
- Up to 25-day forecasts.
- Down to the minute weather information.
- Weather news.
- Multiple locations.
- Customizable notifications.
1 Dark Sky
All hail the top weather app in the App Store. Dark Sky is an Apple Editor’s Choice app and probably one of the best apps simply because it’s simple. The app squeezes in lots of detailed information in a clean, minimal design. It’s not too busy and it doesn’t skimp on data, it feels just right.
It’s extremely easy to use and navigate. Right from the start you can see the current weather conditions, precipitation for the next hour, and the current, low, and high temperatures for the day. Scroll down for hourly forecasts including precipitation, temperature, wind, humidity, and UV index. The sunrise and sunset times are listed right below.
Swipe right and you’ll be presented with a 3D radar globe that shows weekly precipitation and temperatures all over the world. Swipe left to view the high and low temperatures for the entire week.
Dark Sky allows you to set custom notifications such as “notify me at 7 AM if I will need an umbrella.” You can even create notifications for things like wind speed and UV index. A do not disturb option lets you mute notifications during a specified period of time.
Dark Sky costs just $3.99 to download.
Who Is It For?
Pretty much anyone will enjoy Dark Sky’s minimalist design, detailed notification, and great variety of weather data.
Highlights and Features
- Down to the minute precipitation warnings.
- Smooth radar animation.
- Notification Center widget.
- Apple Watch support.
- Interactive 3D radar globe.
- Hourly and weekly forecasts.
- Customizable notifications.
- Wind and UV index.
- Sunrise and sunset times.
Release Your Inner Weatherman
Whether you use these apps in addition to the Weather app or to replace it completely, your sure to find an app or two that gives you the experience you’re looking for. The App Store has many more awesome weather apps available to download. Do you have a favorite? Let us know on social media or in the comments on the following page.