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Google Clock's weather forecasts expand to Bedtime Mode
Google has also added more separation between high and low temperatures
Regardless of when you wake up to start your day, your alarm is likely an unwelcome intrusion. That being said, there are plenty of different alarm apps for Android, so you don't have to roll with the stock clock app if you don't love it. If you prefer to use the Google Clock app on your device, there are a few features that might make your alarm a little less jarring. For instance, you can enable a sunrise alarm, which slowly brightens your display to ease you into consciousness. Now, Google is tweaking the app to help prepare you for the day — specifically, with the latest weather data.
Google is finally updating its At a Glance and Weather widget icons
Home screen icons now match the redesigned Weather app
Widgets might be an afterthought for some phone owners, but depending on your apps, device, and operating system, they can add more convenience to your experience. Many developers have started to take widgets more seriously, paying extra attention to how their features could improve app usage and access. Google is one that continues to make tweaks to benefit its users, and its latest improvements are being seen in its Weather app.
Samsung phones are starting to get Google's redesigned Weather app
Today, tomorrow, and 10-day forecasts in a single tab
Google's Weather app has long been a no-frills method of quickly deciding if it's a rain jacket or sweatshirt kind of day. While it's always been reliable, the app has finally received a makeover that simplifies the design. Over the last six months, we have also seen an improved weather forecasting model and a new Pixel-exclusive weather app. Pixel users were the first to receive the new Google features as usual, but non-Pixel Android users are also starting to benefit.
Google is rolling out a dedicated Weather shortcut to Pixels
A new ‘Weather’ shortcut is showing up in many Pixels’ app drawers
Google recently published a brand-new weather app to the Play Store for Pixel phones, but you can’t directly access it. Instead, it’s meant as a hook for the Clock app to get weather data about your current location and any other time zones you have saved. Google is working on a separate solution for its user-facing weather service, though, which is part of the Google app. Some Pixel users report seeing a new shortcut for this Weather “app” on their Pixel Launcher.
Google finally brings iOS's local weather feature to Maps on Android
The feature will show you the air quality and forecast for the next few hours
It isn’t uncommon for Google to roll out new features for existing apps, like Maps and Calendar. However, the pace at which these updates are launched can differ depending on the operating system. For example, the option to view local weather within the Maps app for iOS has been existent for years, but Android users haven’t had it — until now. Google is introducing the feature to Maps for Android, almost four years after it arrived for iOS.
The redesigned Google Weather app has started to roll out
Several users have reported seeing the new Material You revamp
Google's Weather app is nice and informative, pulling data from weather.com to paint a thorough picture of the forecast, but its UI hasn't seen much attention since its inception. Sure, it picked up a slipshod dark mode earlier this year, but that was mostly a result of a change to Android's underlying WebView system. Now, it appears a full redesign is imminent.
Google Weather's new design features crystal clear forecasts on a fully transparent interface
One change, while seemingly small, enhances the app's visual appeal and functionality
For the first time in what seems like forever, Google is focusing its attention on improving the user experience of its Weather app. As part of its pending Material You redesign that has already soft-launched on the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet, Google Weather is introducing a completely transparent system navigation bar. This update follows design trends visible in other Google apps, such as Chrome, which integrated a similar transparent nav bar back in May. Although this particular element of the update may seem minor, it's clearly an essential component of the eagerly anticipated redesign.
Google could turn to crowdsourcing for more precise weather data
Bringing in citizen scientists to help you prepare for the rain or extreme heat
We don't need experts to tell us that the world is heating up — we can feel it all around us. As a result, people are searching the internet more for information about local weather conditions, and Google is often their first port of call. In March, the company launched heat alerts in the hopes of putting that information front and center in search results. Google may now be aiming to improve the accuracy of local weather information by using crowdsourced data.
Google's new weather experience is more than just a visual redesign
Short-term weather predictions are getting way better
The weather experience inside the Google app got a major makeover with the arrival of the Pixel Tablet. We were recently left impressed after checking out how the new UI would look on a phone screen. While this seems to be merely a visual overhaul at a glance, Google has made some big changes under the hood that will make your local weather forecasts far more reliable and precise.
Google is reportedly working on a standalone Weather app
Android might be next in line to get a dedicated weather app following Wear OS
Checking local weather on an Android phone is more complex than we like. There's still no dedicated app, which means you're limited to getting weather results through the Google app on your device. Last year, the company decided to release a standalone Weather app for Wear OS. We're now learning that Google is working on a separate Weather app for Android phones and tablets, finally bringing parity between its mobile and wearable platforms.
Google Weather is finally getting the Material You makeover it deserves
Internal testing seems to be underway
Google’s Weather app isn’t given much attention, even though many of us use it almost every day. People checking the weather received a pleasant surprise with support for dark mode earlier this year, but the interface has remained largely unchanged since the app's inception. Now, Google is giving the Weather app its first real makeover in years with a Material You redesign from the ground up.
Google Weather finally gets a dark theme, but the forecast is still uncertain
A recent WebView update seems to have flipped the switch
Google’s Weather app isn’t an app in the strictest sense — it’s more like a direct link to search the term “weather” in the Google app — but it does give you plenty of forecast data in a tabbed interface with a friendly frog as your weatherperson. It very seldomly receives updates, so it’s had essentially the same UI for years aside from adding tablet support — and until now, that has included a blinding white background with no respect for your phone’s dark mode setting.
Google Weather is showing tablets some long-overdue love
The move comes as Google renews its commitment to tablets as a whole
Weather seems like an obvious fit for tablets — those big screens are perfect for radar — but up until recently, most major companies have ignored them. At WWDC 2022, Apple announced its iPad lineup would finally get a Weather app with iPadOS 16. It was a big deal coming out of the company's developer conference, and it also seems to have inspired Google to make a similar move. Coinciding with its moves to double-down on Android tablets, the company's Weather service is also becoming available on tablets.
Google puts app settings in Discover feed, since that's where you are anyway
An easier way to find all those options
If you pay close enough attention to Android, you know how often various settings menus are rearranged every single month. Recently, Google removed the "More" tab from its main search app, eliminating an easy way for users to find and view search history and reminders. Thankfully, those options are turning up in a new space: the Pixel Launcher's Discover feed.
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There's nothing Google loves more than to experiment with redesigns. With the power of server-side updates, you'll often see one of your most-used apps flash an all-new look — before it disappears in the blink of an eye. That's what happened earlier this summer when the classic hamburger menu began disappearing from Google Weather's search bar. After flipping the switch off and on a few times, it seems its redesign is finally here to stay.