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Friendly reminder: Apple's Dark Sky weather app will stop working on Jan. 1

Apple is shutting down Dark Sky, one of the best weather apps that's ever existed. Is it time to start using Apple's Weather app?
Written by Jason Cipriani, Contributing Writer
Apple Weather app on iOS 16 iPhone
Jason Cipriani/ZDNET

The time has come. On Jan. 1, 2023, the Dark Sky weather app will stop working. 

Apple is shutting down the app it bought in March 2020. Dark Sky was my go-to weather app shortly after it launched, thanks to its hyperlocal weather forecasts and precipitation alerts. 

There was something almost addictive yet reassuring about getting an alert that it was going to start raining in 5 minutes and then stop in 45 minutes. 

Once Apple bought Dark Sky, the Android version stopped working just a few months later. 

And now, it's the iPhone app's turn. 

Also: The 5 best weather apps

In place of Dark Sky on the iPhone or iPad, Apple integrated some of Dark Sky's core features into its own weather app that launched with iOS 16 and iPadOS 16. Yes, the iPad finally has Apple's official weather app. 

More specifically, the Weather app can now predict precipitation over the next hour, down to the minute. 

Apple has published a support page detailing all of the features and crossover of Dark Sky in the Weather app. 

I switched over to Apple's Weather app early on in the iOS 16 beta program during the summer and found that the forecasts and precipitation estimates were on par with what I was seeing in Dark Sky. It's not an identical experience, and that's to be expected. Apple has put its own spin on Dark Sky. 

Also: The best extreme weather tech

If you're still an avid Dark Sky user, which app or apps are you moving to? Does the Weather app have enough information for you to fully make the change? Or are you going to search for a third-party app? Let me know in the comments.

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