Weather applications are a terrific way to remain current on forecasts, but be aware of possible privacy concerns.

The weather prediction is the first thing I check whenever I have a trip planned. You’ll need a reliable weather app to support you if you enjoy planning out your trips in advance. Nothing is worse than a trip that is ruined by terrible weather. In addition to providing information on the weather for the coming week, weather apps also assist us in planning our schedules and events. You can get forecasts for the upcoming months along with other details like humidity levels and precipitation totals depending on the weather app you choose. There are many things to consider when selecting a weather app; you can’t just choose one and leave it at that.

For 2022, the top weather apps have been chosen after extensive research.

Any third-party weather app is risky since it uses location data and sporadically seeks access it doesn’t need, especially if it isn’t one that came with your phone.

Several weather applications, including The Weather Channel, AccuWeather, and WeatherBug, have drawn criticism or legal action for selling location data to marketers.

Even if the built-in weather apps on your iPhone and Android, which both use data from The Weather Channel, aren’t ideal, they already have your current position if you’re a member of those device ecosystems. Check the weather manually on your web browser or another device if you want to be safer.

We haven’t tried every weather app available in the App Store and Play Store because there are hundreds of them. However, combined with information about their privacy policies, these are the ones we liked the best. All are accessible on iOS and Android.

Read more: Google Play Announces Top 2022 Games and Apps.

The Weather Network

The Weather Channel app, one of the best weather applications for iOS and Android, provides local hourly, daily, and weekly forecasts, as well as a “, Feels like” function to help you prepare for the weather as you leave the house. The software, which is owned by IBM, can also track seasonal allergies, flu risk, and COVID-19 instances in addition to providing real-time rain alerts with radar. Although it’s free to download, this app has more advertising than some of the others. By paying $10 per year or $1 per month for premium access, you can get rid of them.

According to its privacy statement, the Weather Channel app, its service providers, and its ad and analytics partners may gather information and share it with third parties. You have the option to access or remove your usage data. The app will only gather location data while background apps are open if you permit it to. The settings on your smartphone allow you to disable direct location collecting.

The Weather Channel

Hyper-local forecasts for your area are available from Weather Underground, along with interactive radar, satellite maps, and severe weather alerts. The current temperature, how it truly feels, the daily high and low, information on precipitation and wind, a radar map, and the daily high and low are all displayed on the site.By selecting “more,” you may learn more about humidity, dew point, visibility, UV index, and flu outbreaks. Scrolling down will reveal the air quality index, sunrise and sunset times, hourly and weekly forecasts, the air quality index, and links to news articles and weather forecast videos.

IBM also owns Weather Underground in addition to The Weather Channel. The app is free, but you can purchase a premium version that is ad-free and has detailed graphic forecasts up to 15 days in advance for $20 per year or $4 per month.

Perhaps among the group, Weather Underground has the most impressive privacy practices: When you open it for the first time, it informs you right away that it will use your information to target advertisements. However, if you click on the Privacy Settings page, you can quickly access the settings on your phone to modify permissions, view data consumption statistics, and turn off “Allow background data usage.” Additionally, you may choose between “normal advertising settings” (which allow ad partners to access your device information to target ads and for other purposes) and “do not share my information other than for ads in this app” right on the privacy settings page of the app. Additionally, there is a tab where you can request a portable copy of the data, adjust permissions, and request the deletion of the data.

AccuWeather

When you launch AccuWeather, you will see an overview of the current weather conditions, the “RealFeel” temperature in the sun or shade, the UV index, the wind speed, a glance ahead to the following day, and the current conditions for the day. Additionally, you may decide if you want the weather application to remind you to carry an umbrella or a jacket. As you scroll down, you’ll get a breakdown of the various allergy levels for the day, including ragweed, grass, and tree pollen. A radar map and the ability to view hourly and daily temperatures are located at the top. Additionally, a new option is available where you may view brief news videos.

For a one-time price of $4, you can upgrade the app and gain 10 extra days of forecasts while also getting rid of the advertising.

According to its privacy policy, AccuWeather gathers user data and might divulge it to “unaffiliated third-party suppliers” to target advertising in this app and other apps. It does present you with a list of those service providers. On your device, you can alter your permissions (such as turning off location-based services).

RadarScope

Serious weather enthusiasts and meteorologists are the target audience for the $10 RadarScope app, one of the most downloaded paid weather apps in the Play Store. You can obtain NEXRAD Level 3 and Super-Resolution radar data as well as warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, flash floods, and unusual maritime situations. This program is for you if you’re truly into tracking weather patterns.

You can receive real-time, non-gridded lightning data, longer radar loops, and inspection tools to more thoroughly examine radar imagery if you subscribe to a Pro Tier 1 subscription ($10 annually). You can also get that with a Pro Tier 2 subscription ($15/month or $100/year), along with archived radar data from the previous 30 days, tools to help you determine the potential locations of tornadoes, information on the size and likelihood of hail, and local storm reports from the National Weather Service.

RadarScope adheres to the privacy guidelines established by parent firm DTN. Since this is an app that you pay for, the firm claims that it does not sell information to outside parties. It does make use of AdRoll advertising, Eloqua web monitoring, and Google Analytics, but you can choose not to use any of these.

 Dim Sky

Dark Sky features a straightforward user interface. On its home page, it displays the current temperature, how it feels, and a summary of the prediction for the rest of the day or night. To access weather and predictions for your location from the past or future, as well as a forecast for the rest of the week, scroll down.

With an interactive globe map feature that allows you to zoom in and out of different nations, states, and cities to track radar, predictions, and precipitation, Dark Sky stands out from the competition. The app also allows you to report the weather for your location.

Regarding privacy policies, the app states that it shares anonymous data with third-party analytics companies and advertisers and provides links to those advertisers’ privacy policies (Google Advertising and BuySellAds). According to the policy, you can turn off analytics in the app’s settings to stop that gathering, and you can turn off notifications to stop location data collection when the app is not open.

Dark Sky is available for free on Android and $4 on iOS, but you can pay $3 per year to upgrade to the premium version, which adds widgets for your home screen, the OS app, complications for your smartwatch, and up-to-the-minute forecasts, rain notifications, severe weather alerts, and other custom notifications.

Dark Sky was acquired by Apple in March. Apple claims that as a result, the Android app will be taken down on July 1 and users will receive a refund. In the future, there might be more privacy improvements.

Weather Carrot

Carrot Weather takes a more fun, lighthearted approach to weather predictions. The homepage features some excellent artwork and a snappy welcome message. The following was remarked, according to data on a fine day in March’s temperature, humidity, and wind conditions: “Spring has sprung, meatbag! Later on, you can thank me for removing winter from under the tool shed.” It commented, “Ah, spring — that time of year when the weather finally becomes pleasant again, but you still say inside playing video games,” when I launched the app once more. In the options, you can alter the “personality” of the program to be amiable, sarcastic, murderous, or excessive (including profanity), as well as its politics.

When compared to some of the others, the app is rather straightforward: You can find the current temperature, an hourly forecast, and a weekly forecast on its webpage. Additionally, there is a tab for weather alert notifications. You can play the built-in geography game as well. You must watch an advertisement if you want a hint.

According to its privacy statement, Carrot Weather obtains its data from Dark Sky and Weather Underground, so when you request weather, it also shares your location with them. Additionally, third-party advertisements may be supported by your location data. You can get a copy of your data by sending an email to the business, and you can delete data from the app’s settings.

You may download Carrot Weather for free, or for $1 per month or $4 per year, you can join the Premium Club and get rid of the commercials, add widgets to your screen, and browse weather reports from up to 70 years ago.