Google’s redesigned Weather app – originally limited to a few Pixel products – now appears to be rolling out to Android devices in general. The change was noticed by sites like9to5Mac, which reports seeing the app on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, OnePlus Open, and Honor Magic 6 RSR. It should already be on most Pixel devices, such as the Pixel 8 Pro.
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While the new Weather “app” is really more of a shortcut to the Google app, it does come with a Material You aesthetic, as well as a more colorful look and additional data. That data includes NowCast, with up-to-the-minute, hyper-local precipitation forecasts. The feature is similar in concept to Dark Sky, a once-beloved weather platform that was acquired by Apple and ultimately integrated into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, cutting off Android users.
It’s not clear just how far the rollout is extending. You don’t seem to need the latest version of Android, however – a user onXsays they got the updated app on their Nokia 4.2, even though the phone is running Android 11. Most recent Android phones are running either Android 13 or 14, andAndroid 15is already available as a public beta.
A brief history of the redesigned Weather app
The redesign was first launched in mid-2023, at the time limited to thePixel FoldandPixel Tablet. Google started pushing it out to older Pixel devices in October the same year. It arrived on some non-Pixel products in December 2023, but only a collection of Samsung phones, likely reflecting the Korean giant’s close ties with Google.
Google frequently reserves some of the best Android features for Pixel devices, such as automatic call screening, Best Take, Magic Eraser, and Extreme Battery Saver. Some do eventually migrate elsewhere, presumably to enhance the Android platform overall and avoid too many complaints from the company’s partners. The situation is likely to become more complicated as Google pushes further into AI, though. Some features may be dependent on Google Tensor processors, and Gemini Nano – the locally-executed version of its Gemini AI – currently works only on the Pixel 8 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24. Amultimodal version of Nano, supporting audio and images, will initially be Pixel-exclusive when it premieres later in 2024.
Material You could be considered an example of a feature that “escaped” Pixels. The design tech launched alongside Android 12 and new Pixels in 2021. Within a few months, subsequent Android updates brought it to more Android devices, and by Android 13 it had effectively become mandatory, affecting more and more elements of the OS.
