Summary

Weather apps have a shaky history of respecting your privacy.

But millions of people use weather apps that track them and violate their privacy.

Here’s why it matters and what to do about it.

WeatherAppSpyingHeader1

Why Are Weather Apps Such a Privacy Nightmare?

There are a few reasons for that.

First and foremost, people love weather apps.

A screenshot of the iOS data collection record screen.

this is hardly a theoretical problem.

Here are some concrete examples of privacy violations over the years.

In 2018, the New York Timestested many popular apps and tracked their data collection and distribution patterns.

Screenshots showcasing the Apple Weather app.

In 2019, it was the Weather Channel app’s turn in the hotseat.

You might really like that app.

Search for information about your weather app of choice.

Screenshots showcasing the Carrot Weather app.

Check out the app’s entry on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

How does your weather app use data?

What is the company’s privacy policy?

Screenshots showcasing the Hello Weather app.

For most purposes and inquiries, your weather app doesn’t need to know your exact location.

you’re able to turn off precise location data on an app-level basis in bothAndroidandiOS.

Somebody has to pay for both the development costs of the app and all those API calls.

Screenshots showcasing the Ventusky weather app.

There is no stand-alone first-party Android weather app.

In addition to the free version, the app has three subscription tiers.

Premium ($4.99/month or $19.99/year) unlocks app customizations, notifications, widgets, and other features.

Screenshots showcasing the Yrno weather app.

Carrot Weather is available for bothAndroidandiOS.

There’s no data collection of any kind by the app.

Not only is the privacy policy very plain-English, but the app itself is too.

Screenshots showcasing the Not Boring Weather app.

Hello Weather is available for bothAndroidandiOS.

It’s front and center when you load the app, and the live wind animations are hypnotic.

Ventusky is a zero-data-collection, privacy-centric app.

Screenshots showcasing the OpenWeather app.

you’re free to readthe Ventusky privacy policy here.

you might upgrade to the premium version for $5.99 a year.

Ventusky is available for bothAndroidandiOS.

Screenshots showcasing the Appy Weather app.

Theprivacy-centeredapp was created by a collaboration between the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

You might read that and expect a boring app.

If we’re being honest, we expected a relatively boring app too.

Screenshots showcasing the Geometric Weather app.

But Yr.no has a little trick up its sleeve that, frankly, delighted us.

Yr.no is available forAndroidandiOS.

(Not Boring) Weather is a zero-data collection app, and you canread the privacy policy here.

(Not Boring) Weather isiOSonly.

OpenWeather (Android/iOS)

OpenWeather is a simple and straightforward app.

But what it does have is neatly organized, and you’ll waste no time digging around for anything.

OpenWeather doesn’t collect or share data.

you could readthe OpenWeather privacy policy here.

OpenWeather is available forAndroidandiOS.

But whichever option you select, Appy Weatherdoesn’t collect or share your data.

The basic free app offers current weather conditions, a timeline view, and hourly/daily forecast projections.

Pro ($9.99/year) ads in additional data sources (like Foreca and AerisWeather) and custom notifications.

Geometric Weather (Android/iOS)

Geometric Weather is a free and open-source weather app.

To install it on Android, you’ll need toinstall F-Droidanddownload it from the F-Droid repository.