Dark Sky’s Android users have a deadline. July 1, 2020. That is the day the app stops working.
No more minute-by-minute rain alerts. No more down-to-the-block forecasts.
The company confirmed the shutdown in a blog post from co-founder Adam Grossman on March 31, the same day Apple announced the acquisition. Grossman wrote that service continues until July 1. Then the app shuts down.
Refunds will be issued automatically to anyone with an active subscription on that date. New downloads were disabled on the Google Play Store within hours of the announcement.
The move ends Dark Sky’s run as a cross-platform favorite. The app first gained traction in 2012. Its stripped-down interface and hyper-local precision built a loyal following.
Android adopters paid $2.99 annually for the premium tier. Many built routines around its alerts. That ends this summer.
Apple confirmed the purchase on March 31. The deal immediately shutters future Android downloads.
Apple promises to fold Dark Sky’s data into its own products. Grossman said the team will join Apple “to reach far more people, with far more impact.” Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee summed up the mood on Twitter. “So Apple just bought the best weather app, Dark Sky, and they’re shutting down the Android version.
Booooo (RIP).” The acquisition leaves a gap. Android users lose a cult favorite.
No equivalent app offers the same minute-by-minute rain alerts with that level of precision. The stripped-down interface also set Dark Sky apart from cluttered weather apps. Users who paid $2.99 annually now face a search for alternatives.
Some will find nothing that matches. Third-party developers get a longer leash. Dark Sky’s application programming interface keeps responding to existing calls through the end of 2021.
That API powers bicycle-route planners. It runs smart-home sprinkler systems.
But no new sign-ups are being accepted. Pricing tiers have been removed from the website. Grossman warned that “we do not expect to make any major changes to the API.” Developers who relied on the data feed must find new sources by 2022.
The move is a clear platform play. Apple acquires a beloved app.
It kills the Android version. It keeps the technology for itself. This is standard practice in tech acquisitions.
But it stings for Android users who invested time and money in Dark Sky. They built habits around its alerts. They paid for the premium tier.
Now they lose access. Dark Sky’s Android run ends July 1.
Existing users can keep using the app until then. After that, the app goes dark. Refunds will be issued.
But the refund does not replace the service. Android users lose a tool they relied on.
Apple gains a data source for its own products. Grossman’s blog post framed the acquisition as a chance for greater impact. The team joins Apple.
They will work on Apple’s weather products. The cross-platform app that made Dark Sky famous becomes Apple-only. Android users are left out.
The date July 1, 2020 marks the end. For Android users, that is the day Dark Sky stops working.
For Apple, it is the day the acquisition fully takes effect. Two different realities from one deal.
