Dark Sky Weather Gets a new Home

There are some apps that are absolutely stand out on iOS. A few come to come, including PCalc, Overcast, and Carrot, just to name a few. Another one is the Dark Sky app. Dark Sky has been purchased by Apple.

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.

What happens to our existing products?

iOS App

There will be no changes to Dark Sky for iOS at this time. It will continue to be available for purchase in the App Store.

Android and Wear OS App

The app 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.

Website

Weather forecasts, maps, and embeds will continue until July 1, 2020. The website will remain active beyond that time in support of API and iOS App customers.

API

Our API service for existing customers is not changing today, but we will no longer accept new signups. The API will continue to function through the end of 2021.

As part of this transition, use of Dark Sky by Apple is subject to the Apple Privacy Policy, which can be found at apple.com/privacy.

Thank you!

To our customers, family and friends, we are grateful for your support over the past eight years. We look forward to continuing to build great products, so stay tuned…

The Dark Sky Team

Apple purchasing the Dark Sky app makes complete sense. The weather app that is currently available on iOS works, however, it has not seen that many additions in the past few years and has remained largely unchanged since it's initial release of the iPhone.

The acquisition of the Dark Sky team can mean some significant improvements not only on iOS, but also on macOS where macOS could get its own weather app.

One of the reasons why users used Dark Sky was not only the design of the app, but also due to the privacy stance of Dark Sky. They did not need access or attempt to gather information. It is a loss for the independent app development community, but it will be a great asset for all iOS users overall.

Furthermore, the API will remain up until the end of 2021,, which is more than generous, but somewhat unsurprising because so many other places rely on the Dark Sky weather APIs. Those who have signed up will be able to continue to use them, but nobody else can sign up.

I really hope Apple maintains the API for others to use, even if there is a minor fee. It may only be a subset, of the APIs available within the Dark Sky app itself.

Source: Dark Sky