In April, The Weather Channel launched its redesigned app for iPhone, and in June, it was rolled out for iPad users. Now, all Android users can find the app in the Google Play store.
The app incorporates a new social feature that lets fans report local weather conditions. This will not only help improve the accuracy of forecasts, but also The Weather Channel’s position as the leading weather app. In recent years, competing weather apps have been racing to provide hyper-local forecasts and minute-by-minute conditions. For example, if users are considering going out to get lunch at 1:00 PM, they may learn that they can avoid rain if they go at 1:10 PM instead. The Weather Channel has the advantage of being the go-to linear network for weather news, and has amassed a loyal following as a result. Weather – especially when natural disasters are taking place – is always at the forefront of the social conversation.
Rather than release the new app on iTunes and Google Play simultaneously, The Weather Channel rolled out the iOS version first, and then collected customer feedback to improve the Android version. “Customer feedback is so important to us, and we have listened carefully to what our iPhone team has heard to improve the Android experience,” said Kevin Doerr, senior vice president of digital products, The Weather Channel. “Not only does this app have a more streamlined view with better data, but it also has more context and crowd-sourced weather reporting.”
Below, some of the new Android app features:
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Find weather faster – A beautiful new design and simple interface makes the app easy to use. The radar map loads faster and is smoother than ever.
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Discover deeper, more engaging content – With improved navigation, use the pull down list for your saved locations. A vertical scroll unveils current conditions, hourly and 10-day forecasts, radar, video, news and more.
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Get the info you need – Get in-depth current details – “feels like” temperature, wind, dew point, humidity, visibility, pressure, UV index, and sunrise and sunset times – as well as hourly details out to 48 hours.
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Become your own weather forecaster – Introducing Social Weather on Android, the app lets you report and share your weather conditions or see what others in your area are saying, or take and share a photo of your current weather.
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Help improve the forecast – With Social Weather reports, you can help find and improve the forecast for hard-to-predict spots. The Weather Channel includes data points from proprietary models, official government sources worldwide, Weather Underground’s network of 34,000 personal weather stations, and now crowd-sourced weather reports via mobile app.
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Plan your travel – A helpful tool gives airport delays for all your travel needs.
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Prepare for pollen, no matter the season – Keep up with the latest pollen counts and information, including direct pollen alerts available.
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Stay safe in severe weather – During extreme events, your entire app will change to tell you the full story.
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Be alerted when it matters most – Get notifications for severe weather and high pollen counts. You can also activate an always-on temperature view.