The official Android app for The Weather Channel has been updated today in the Google Play Store, and since we all love knowing whether or not it’s about to rain we figured a quick status update was in order. If you don’t use HD Widgets, or any of those other options for weather alerts, the official Weather Channel app is pretty awesome. Today’s update is all about the visuals and design, so lets take a look.
The new app looks a lot better than before, is visually impressive, and has some nice animations and smooth UI elements. It follows the Android Holo design guidelines somewhat, and has plenty of gesture based controls. If you need to know the week forecast, or even up to the minute details on when and if it will rain, this is the app for you.
The new app has now been redesigned and optimized for tablets, the forecast is more detailed, there’s additional videos and a bigger selection for those looking for news, and much more. Their maps got a bit faster, and hey, they even added a refresh button this time around. Something that oddly was missing for a weather app.
One of the other new changes aside from an awesome new user interface is the way the app will alert you of rain. Before it had a general idea, but the official Weather Channel app will now tell you the exact time it will start raining in your location. That’s neat. Sadly it appears we have ads as much as weather alerts, but what can you do. Get the new and improved Weather Channel Android app from the link below.
[via Play Store]
Just loaded it to my Razr, don’t like it. Visuals are nice looking, but I don’t care. I want a quick 36 hour recap, then a quick multi day recap. I used to get each of those in a single screen – now seems way more complicated. Time to look for another weather app
I agree — this app is terrible
I don’t want full screen Toyota ads. I just want that awesome hourly forecast. On one page. No bullshit. I don’t want to watch 50 videos of shitty weather someplace else. And I don’t want to earn stupid thing points. Wtf. Such a terrible update. If anyone knows another good weather app plz lemme know. I would appreciate it.
The spiffy new graphics may look good on a tablet, but are a regrettable use of a smartphone screen. And what was a streamlined, targeted information source is now a sea of bubbles that must be expanded in order to deliver information. Plus, as best as I can tell, the app does NOT reorient with the device’s position change. Yes, the new map features are great. But the rest of the UI changes are questionable.
Don’t forget to root, backup your old versions with titanium. I do that every time, so no regretting crappy updates… just revert back!
I used to love this app but the update is horrible. No 36 hour forecast, no hourly and no ten day. I understand the need for advertisements but a full page ad ?!?
I have since uninstalled.
The old version was 5 star this new one is 1 star.
Wow how much did they pay you to write this review? The update is awful…I agree with all the other commenters so far.
This is about the 4th or 5th article I have seen praising The Weather Channel update for Android devices. Except for the piece on an Internet Marketer blog, I cannot understand how responsible reviewers could possibly ignore the horrible user feedback to the new UI. The Google Play Store user reviews are scathing in their loathing for the “new” look TWC app, yet most of the blog reviews tout the TWC line that the new UI is cleaner, faster and will generate world peace if you give it a chance. Enough already — the Emperor has no clothes. Time to bite the bullet and integrate the big Toyota $$$ into a user-friendly app