Apple Buys Dark Sky and Kills the Android App

If you have Dark Sky installed on your Android phone then we have some bad news for you… Apple has acquired the popular weather app and is killing the Android version in cold blood. And the Dark Sky API is also now living on borrowed time.

What Is the Dark Sky Weather App?

Dark Sky launched in 2012. Here was a new breed of weather app which offered hyperlocal forecasts and an elegant user interface. Dark Sky built a loyal following on iOS for several years before the company launched an Android version in 2016.

Millions of people now use Dark Sky as their weather app of choice, and Dark Sky also powers other apps and sites through its API. However, Apple has now acquired Dark Sky for an undisclosed sum of money, and it looks set to become an iOS exclusive.

Apple Acquires Dark Sky for iOS

Dark Sky announced its acquisition by Apple on the Dark Sky Blog. The company claims that its goal has always been to “provide the world with the best weather information possible [and] there is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple.”

Unfortunately, while Dark Sky for iOS is still available, Dark Sky for Android and Wear OS is on death row. The app is no longer available to download, and even those who already have Dark Sky installed on their handset will find it stops working after July 1, 2020.

Apple buys Dark Sky (my favorite weather app). The $3.99 app remains paid on the App Store, removed from Android. https://t.co/sHstBzVzI6

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 31, 2020

The same fate awaits the Dark Sky website, with weather forecasts, maps, and embeds only available until July 1, 2020. After that date, the website will only remain active “in support of API and iOS App customers.” Everyone else will be locked out.

As for the API itself, Apple is no longer accepting new signups. What’s more, while the Dark Sky API will continue to function until the end of 2021, it will then likely stop working. Which will severely impact the countless apps powered by the Dark Sky API.

Download: Dark Sky on iOS ($3.99)

The Best Weather Apps on Android and iOS

This is clearly bad news for Android owners, who are losing access to one of the best weather apps around. However, it’s good news for iPhone owners, as Apple is almost guaranteed to incorporate Dark Sky’s best features into the native Weather app for iOS.

Dark Sky isn’t the only weather app available on iOS, so if you’re not a fan, here are the best weather apps for iPhone. And if you enjoy studying the weather, here are the best weather widgets for Android, all of which will look great on your homescreen.

Image Credit: Paolo Polidori/Flickr

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