AccuWeather (for Android) Preview (2024)

AccuWeather seems to have an inkling of what users want in their free Android weather apps. Youcan just glance at the app's main page and get lots of information about current conditions, or youcan scroll through yoursaved locations with the app's widgets. But this app needs a redesign, as the current version looks outdated and feels sluggish. It just can't keep up with the competition.

Dated Design
AccuWeather's main page is called Now, and it features a static image that mimics current weather conditions emblazoned with the current temperature. Swiping left and right on AccuWeather's main page reveals more weather tools with a dedicated screen for each. I much prefer the layout of Weather Underground, which featuresan info-heavy top panel and customizable tools below.

AccuWeather's Now page manages to cram UV index, humidity, visibility, dew point, pressure, and a table showing wind speed, direction, and gusts. Below all of this data is the My AccuWeather tool, which provides customized forecasts for DIY projects, outdoor fitness, and others. This could have been a key feature, but it's poorly realized, with vague information like "The temperature is just right, just the right amount of wind."

Swiping right from the Now page reveals Locations—which are also accessible from a pulldown menu at the top of the screen. This puts location search and saved locations within easy reach, which I like.

Swiping left from the Now page pulls up the Hourly forecast, featuring a chart mapping the actual temperature and the "RealFeel" temperature, but no precipitation information as on 1Weather. That information is reserved for an hour-by-hour breakdown below. The Daily forecast, one swipe to the left, uses a similar format to show two weeks of forecast data. It's useful, but difficult to read. I much prefer 1Weather's interactive charts, which are better designed and offer more information.

Swiping even further to the left is Maps, which shows a current radar map for your location. Below this are also handy links to radar maps for your saved locations. This muddies the navigation of the app somewhat, but I like it. Tapping on a map takes it full screen, giving you the option to animate the movement of local storm systems. The radar map shows the severity of rain, snow, and ice, but does not offer the typical wide arrayof overlays found in just about every other weather app. It's certainly less overwhelming, but weather geeks will have to look elsewhere for data about cloud cover, fronts, and the like.

The last two sections are Videos and News, which repackage AccuWeather content for mobile. I was surprised to find that, unlike The Weather Channel, which focuses only loosely on weather, AccuWeather's Video section contained nothing but video forecasts. Better still, there is a Spanish language forecast for the New York area—a big plus in my book. The News section includes text articles on a broader range of topics, but they are still solidly weather-centric.

If all this swiping sounds tiring, it is. The design of AccuWeather feels very dated, and I was surprised at how sluggish the swiping was in my testing. Though my Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is hardly a top-of-the-line phone, this app still shouldn't be so lethargic. If an app requires that much swiping, it ought to at least be smooth.

It's worth noting that while close competitor The Weather Channel opts for the dreadfully annoying Mpoints monetization system, AccuWeather stickswith regular old banner ads.

Widgets
The battle for weather supremacy will be won or lost with widgets, as I imagine most Android users would prefer a quick glance at their home screen to having to open and navigate a weather app. AccuWeather has three widegets. The largest takes up 4-by-2 slots on your Android home screen and shows the current temperature, time, and a forecast for today and tomorrow. There are also two 4-by-1 widgets with white and dark backgrounds, respectively. All three are a bit ugly, but I really like could the ability to simply swipe through all my saved locations from within the smaller two widgets. That's a feature I'd like other weather apps to copy.

AccuWeather also puts current conditions into the notification tray and current temperature into the notification bar, but that's par for the course.

Conditions Foggy
AccuWeather doesn't have any defining features that set it apart from the competition, and its dated design really holds it back. Apps need to look good and perform perfectly, and this app does neither. There aregood ideas here, but the whole thing is in desperate need of a refresh. I much prefer ourEditors' Choice, Weather Underground, which is packed with usefulinformation and is slickly designed.