Dark Sky API gets reborn as Apple WeatherKit, with plans to support Android
Two years ago, we were treated to a bitter farewell: Dark Sky, a popular weather app, was acquired by Apple, with the consequence being that we’d have tosay goodbye to the Android version of the app. While the iOS version still lives on (its DNAalso got integrated into the regular Weather app), it’s also due to be sunsetted by the end of the year. AtWWDC 2022this week, we’re finally getting learning what else Apple has been doing with Dark Sky’s resources this whole time, and the good news is that the forecast sure looks like it includes support for Android once again: meet WeatherKit.
WeatherKit is not an app itself — rather, it’s an API (or a framework, in Apple lingo) that’s meant to replace the Dark Sky API Apple has deprecated and is planning to kill off completely by 2023. This announcement arrives alongside the introduction of a proper Weather app for iPads with iPadOS 16 (via9to5Google).
The big news here, though, is that WeatherKit isn’t just for iOS apps, and can also be used by web and Android apps, thanks toApple making REST APIs available. So while Apple won’t be launching a Weather app for Android itself, a developer can still use the WeatherKit API to add Apple-sourced weather info to their Android apps — and let you have everything you loved about Dark Sky on your Android phone yet again.
WeatherKit requires iOS 16, so we can expect to see a lot more as Apple’s betas get started. Hopefully the REST APIs (and thus, Android support) will become available a little later this year.
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