In fact, Android never had a weather app that users would check first. That’s especially unfortunate for Google, because as the world’s largest search company, its weather app should be the only place you can turn for accurate, aggregated data. Things got desperate in 2020 when Apple acquired Dark Sky and brought it beyond its own walled garden. Now iPhone users have Android’s once-popular weather app and a native app with its iconic status.
For Android users who are yearning for something better, good news is on the way. Code threaders on 9to5Google and Android Authority are raving about a completely revamped weather app coming to the Pixel experience. The leaked APK is available for sideloading yourself (considering that it’s pre-release software and everything is at your discretion). The APK gives us a glimpse of all the new features coming to Google’s default weather app.
The Pixel’s Weather app gets a much-anticipated Material Style makeover, with various information panels modelled on the Pixel’s latest widgets, with rounded corners, prominent icons and easier-to-see data, and the sunrise and sunset widgets are more visually appealing than before.
Unfortunately, Froggy did not make it into this version. Google Weather Frog appeared in a few Google Doodles during the ecosystem’s lifespan, but it appears to have been officially retired. Perhaps it was time for Froggy to find a lily pad that wasn’t Android users’ second-choice weather app hero character. I would have been ready to retire after dealing with such rejection for years.
Google’s Pixel Weather app will adopt the color scheme of your device whether it’s dark or light, and will ask for notification permission to periodically push weather forecasts for your current location. This can be done using the Pixel Launcher[At a Glance]It looks similar to how widgets currently display on the home screen. X/Twitter/Whatever also has a weather map report, which would be useful in places like the San Francisco Bay Area, which has microclimates and you can’t leave the house without predicting the weather an hour ahead. I couldn’t find such a feature in the APK I installed on my Pixel 8, though.
We’ll soon see what’s special about the revamped weather app, and perhaps there will be some AI-enhanced features that have yet to be revealed. Google’s Made by Google event will take place on August 13, where it’s expected to unveil all the new features for the Pixel 9 and the rest of its hardware family.
There are still plenty of third-party weather apps out there — Weather Live was free with Google Play Pass, and I often use it to get hourly forecasts and wind direction — but if Google’s forecasts were accurate enough, I’d ditch it in favor of a native app.
