This post is presented by Today Weather.
Your weather app is probably the last thing you daydream about upgrading. After all, iOS comes with a pretty straightforward, reliable weather app. But when we tried free alternative Today Weather, we found some interesting features we didn’t even know we wanted.
Let’s be clear: Any alternative for one of Apple’s native apps requires sharp design. Thankfully, Today Weather shows a worthy design sense that’s easy on the eyes and easy to use. On both the iTunes and Android versions, Today Weather serves up a clean, vertical layout with black background (good for battery life) and rearrangeable tiled sections.
Depending on the time, you’ll see a nice image to represent the general type of weather that day. Below the images you’ll get all the basics: temperature, highs and lows, and the day’s forecast. You can also set and save updates for anywhere else in the world that interests you.
So far, so familiar. Scroll down in Today Weather, though, and things get a bit more nitty gritty.
Today Weather: More for your forecast
Along with the straight stuff about the day’s weather, Today Weather offers a sense of how things actually feel outside, given the current humidity, air pressure, wind speed and other factors. You can check those details individually, along with UV index, visibility and dew point.
Pleasing graphics indicate what to expect over the next 24 hours and the following week when it comes to temperature ranges, chances of rain, air quality, etc.
One feature that’s surprisingly useful is the graphic indicator for sunsets and sunrises. Knowing when they’re coming can change one’s sense of the day as much as knowing the weather. Same goes for the chart of new and full moons.
Nice little touches — like the charmingly designed, animated icons — jump out as you use the app. More theme options or color inversions would make it even nicer to look at.
A free weather app you can share
Maybe the most interesting feature of Today Weather is its shareability. Hey, if you thought it was weird to share things like transactions or resumes, check out Venmo or LinkedIn.
Sure enough, it’s actually pretty fun to share a photo of the day along with the weather. It’s something like sharing an update on Snapchat or Instagram, and makes for a fun point of contact between far-flung people.
Ultimately the best reason to check out Today Weather is that it’s free. For four bucks, you can upgrade to the ad-free version of the app (and get some other goodies). Either way, this is one way to get a little more out of the day’s weather, and your phone.
