[HN Gopher] Dark Sky iOS app ends December 31, 2022
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Dark Sky iOS app ends December 31, 2022
Author : SamuelAdams
Score : 65 points
Date : 2022-09-12 21:57 UTC (1 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (blog.darksky.net)
(TXT) w3m dump (blog.darksky.net)
| WaitWaitWha wrote:
| I had home automation based on Dark Sky API. Sad to see it go.
|
| (mental note: make sure there are always alternate solutions and
| manual over-rides for external resources.)
| aaomidi wrote:
| They will have a REST api again.
|
| https://developer.apple.com/documentation/weatherkitrestapi
| jamesdf wrote:
| The API is replaced by
| https://developer.apple.com/documentation/weatherkitrestapi
| which is available as a REST API and can be used on non-Apple
| platforms.
| atchoo wrote:
| A platform buying up cross-platform apps and making them uni-
| platform really should be slam dunk anti-trust. It's obviously
| anti-consumer and concentration of market power.
| katbyte wrote:
| fwiw it wasn't available in Canada, i'd been waiting years for
| it, and now via the apple weather app it will be.
| Gigachad wrote:
| It's a weather app. There is no monopoly on weather info. The
| data is pretty much public and anyone could start their own
| alternative.
| wpietri wrote:
| In which case, it sounds like there was no need for Apple to
| buy this.
| Gigachad wrote:
| The reason seems pretty simple, because it was cheaper to
| buy it than to pay their own people to try and recreate it.
| freetime2 wrote:
| On the other hand, since there are presumably more Apple
| Weather users than Dark Sky users, by moving the functionality
| of Dark Sky into the Apple Weather app, more people will
| benefit from the features than when Dark Sky was independent.
| cryptoz wrote:
| Does anyone know if Apple is actively using the barometer data
| from iPhones to work on improving weather forecast accuracy? Dark
| Sky claimed they were doing this but offered no information about
| it, so I am skeptical that they actually did work on this.
|
| AFAIK they were not weather nerds / atmospheric scientists, and
| did not work with researchers on the use of the data, or do any
| work on statistical verification to know if their barometer data
| was helping or not, so I expect that they just collected some
| data but didn't use it.
|
| But Apple could be in a prime position to use the barometers to
| make weather forecast accuracy improvements.
|
| Google too, of course, but AFAIK they are not working on this.
| iamdamian wrote:
| I'm bummed about this. I've used the two side-by-side since I
| learned about this, and it seems like Dark Sky gives far richer
| detail.
|
| In fact, sometimes, I've noticed that Dark Sky will accurately
| predict rain when Apple Weather doesn't. (I haven't ever noticed
| the reverse.)
| darknoon wrote:
| So sad, I use this app every day!
| Alex3917 wrote:
| Same, it's literally my most used app. I'm growing container
| figs in a low-soil medium, so if they go even an hour too long
| without water they freak out.
| tern wrote:
| Just downloaded the new iOS weather app and it has all the
| features I use from Dark Sky.
|
| I even prefer the interface!
|
| For what it's worth, I often enjoy when Apple absorbs apps. I
| thought they did a fantastic job with Shortcuts.
| switch007 wrote:
| Isn't the Weather app pre-installed?
| mx01xz wrote:
| It is, but it's also removable. They probably uninstalled
| it before Apple started to reimplement Dark Sky in Weather.
| raybb wrote:
| What weather app are people using on Android?
|
| I'm currently using Geometric Weather + MyRadar:
|
| https://f-droid.org/packages/wangdaye.com.geometricweather/
|
| https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.acmeaom.an...
| _emacsomancer_ wrote:
| - wX (based on NWS data):
| https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=joshuatee.wx /
| https://f-droid.org/en/packages/joshuatee.wx/
|
| - weawow:
| https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.weawow /
| https://weawow.com/
| [deleted]
| CraftThatBlock wrote:
| I've been using Today Weather for years and it's been amazing.
|
| https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.lockdown....
| bilsbie wrote:
| Is anyone applying deep learning to weather forecasting? Seems
| like there might be a disruption opportunity there.
| thrdbndndn wrote:
| Link should be https://blog.darksky.net/dark-sky-has-a-new-home/
| jmann99999 wrote:
| I am a long-ago purchaser of Dark Sky. I find I never use it on
| my iPhone. Carrot Weather is always superior in both the forecast
| and Radar. Dark Sky's "it will rain in 5 minutes" was hit or
| miss.
|
| I live in the mountains, so perhaps, Dark Sky works well in a
| less difficult environment.
|
| That said, if it disappears tomorrow, I won't miss it.
| celsoazevedo wrote:
| > Carrot Weather
|
| I don't know about the iOS app, but at least the Android
| version has a few trackers: https://i.imgur.com/qyRL4jf.png
|
| From here: https://reports.exodus-
| privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.grailr....
| kstrauser wrote:
| Carrot is a great app. However, it's expensive and massively
| overkill for people living in the Bay Area. $40 a year for a
| warning the 10 times a year it rains is a bit much.
|
| Still, until iPadOS 16 brought a native weather app, Carrot was
| the best alternative for using the same app across all my
| devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch). I'm glad the built in
| Weather app is sufficiently good that I can drop that
| subscription.
| pronoiac wrote:
| I'm picking up Carrot Weather now. Its "Editors' Choice"
| description says it draws data from Dark Sky, though?
|
| Edit: disregard the source comment. It draws from multiple
| sources, like Foreca.
| sklargh wrote:
| You can pick your data source from a list...it also has a
| nice function that will use your weather station for local
| conditions within a given radius. That said you need to use a
| specific brand of weather station for that to work.
| irq wrote:
| I also second the recommendation for CARROT Weather [0]. I
| switched to it a few years ago from Dark Sky and never went
| back.
|
| [0] http://meetcarrot.com/weather/
| 404mm wrote:
| I used Dark Sky on iPhone until they redesigned the Weather
| app. Then the stock option became an immediate drop-in
| replacement.
|
| I wish the API remained open so others can use it but as far as
| the app itself, it was never really that good.
| vanshg wrote:
| Apple now offers a WeatherKit REST API
|
| https://developer.apple.com/documentation/weatherkitrestapi
| 404mm wrote:
| I did not know that! Thanks!
| [deleted]
| Drybones wrote:
| Upsetting about the app, but the new iOS weather app has the
| functionality essentially.
|
| The real gut wrencher is the darksky website going down. It's how
| I check weather most of the time a no other browser weather site
| comes close to it in simplicity and features.
| morley wrote:
| I've used the weather.gov site for the last ~5 years, and it
| has been great. I bookmark both the 7-day local forecast[1] and
| the hourly dashboard[2].
|
| [1]
| https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.71234500000...
|
| [2]
| https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?w0=t&w3u=1&w5=pop&...
| adolph wrote:
| The advantage of DarkSky was hyperlocalized forecast. I was
| able to time a walk between buildings dryly.
| arh68 wrote:
| Along these lines, I also really like the Aviation Radar maps
|
| [1] https://aviationweather.gov/radar/plot?region=alb
|
| (feel free to change, in the top left, Type = Comp Ref, and
| to Loop)
| sklargh wrote:
| https://nasstatus.faa.gov - will give you exceptionally
| accurate information about flight delays unrelated to your
| aircraft. wx & airspace.
| nojito wrote:
| They also have a really nice api.
|
| https://www.weather.gov/documentation/services-web-api
| misnome wrote:
| I've found that the Weather app maps are lower resolution than
| the Dark Sky app, and still has the bug where large portions of
| the weather radar just.. disappears when trying to render the
| recent history.
| sklargh wrote:
| https://open-meteo.com/en will let you create a very nice
| dashboard for yourself...very easy to use.
| jszymborski wrote:
| I usually used Darksky for the hourly percipitation forecast.
| It helped me time things out.
|
| For fellow Canadians who used it similarly, the Canadian Gov't
| has a pretty handy hourly forecast[0].
|
| [0]
| https://www.weather.gc.ca/forecast/hourly/qc-147_metric_e.ht...
| unsignedint wrote:
| Shortly after Darksky left Android, started using Windy. [1]
|
| Not necessarily a simplest solution for weather forecast, but
| provides wealth of information to satisfy my meteorological
| curiosity as well. (I pay Premium for higher precision data,
| and I think it worth every penny IMHO.)
|
| [1]: https://www.windy.com/
| quickthrowman wrote:
| It definitely does not have the same functionality, you can
| only see the current temp/precip prob %/humidity/dewpoint/wind
| speed/etc, you can't see the forecasted stats I listed in the
| iOS weather app, you can only get hour by hour temperature.
|
| I'm very disappointed that Dark Sky is going away. If Apple
| added in the ability to see forecasted hour by hour wind
| speed/humidity/dew point/etc, it'd be a decent replacement.
| dcormier wrote:
| In iOS 16 it's greatly improved. You can now get the
| predicted hourly temperature, UV index, wind, rainfall, feels
| like temperature, humidity, visibility, and atmospheric
| pressure.
| samcat116 wrote:
| This has changed completely in iOS 16
| pgoggijr wrote:
| Most of the functionality is coming in iOS 16:
| https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/08/ios-16-weather-app-
| upda...
| coder543 wrote:
| iOS 16 arrived earlier today, so it is already here, and
| the weather app improvements are definitely nice
| Shank wrote:
| > I'm very disappointed that Dark Sky is going away. If Apple
| added in the ability to see forecasted hour by hour wind
| speed/humidity/dew point/etc, it'd be a decent replacement.
|
| In iOS 16 (and in macOS Ventura, which adds the Weather app),
| you can view hourly temperature, UV index, wind speed,
| precipitation, feels like, humidity, visibility, and
| pressure, on a graph. You can also tap and hold to view
| individual hourly data. You should see if the updated
| experience works for you!
| jnovek wrote:
| I get migraines triggered by the weather and I can't find
| another app with barometric pressure forecasts and history.
| takoid wrote:
| My girlfriend uses Apple's Weather app and I still use Dark Sky.
| My anecdotal experience is that Dark Sky is significantly more
| accurate than Apple's Weather app, especially when it comes to
| rain. Anyone have any insight into why this is the case,
| especially considering Apple bought Dark Sky?
| neiled wrote:
| iOS only seems to be taking Dark Sky weather as of iOS 16, so
| guess start comparing them again as it was released today!
| hollywood_court wrote:
| I've used this app for years. I will have to check out the new
| iOS weather app.
|
| Honestly the Dark Sky rain predictions are usually wrong more
| often than not.
|
| I use it to monitor rain to keep my zoysia nice, but it has been
| disappointing me recently.
| CrazyStat wrote:
| It must vary by location. Dark Sky is usually right on point
| for me.
|
| I was pissed when they cut off Android support. I eventually
| got over it and subscribed on my iPad so I could continue using
| it, because nothing else I've tried comes close.
| nazgul17 wrote:
| Check what their source is: surely, they don't compute the
| forecast themselves.
| peyton wrote:
| They do. That was the selling point.
| OGWhales wrote:
| The data is public and comes from NOAA but they are doing
| their own forecasting.
|
| Here is a blog post from one of the devs about their
| process (2011): http://jackadam.github.io/2011/how-dark-
| sky-works/
| outworlder wrote:
| For me they were on point, sometimes down to the minute. That
| is, until Apple bought them.
| TimMeade wrote:
| The predictions used to be dead on. it was crazy weird how
| accurate. But shortly after apple purchased they started
| slipping. Now rarely accurate.
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(page generated 2022-09-12 23:00 UTC)