For years, the demand for a Weather app for the iPad has been made and jokes have been made about powerful iPads with M1 chips that can't even use the Weather app. This year, with iPadOS 16, the app is finally coming to the iPad. The Mac also gets a Weather app from macOS Ventura. But there's a lot more new in the Weather app in iOS 16 and the other updates.
- iPad App
- Mac App
- More details
- Lockscreen animation
- Lockscreen widget
- Severe weather notifications
- WeatherKit API
- Improvements on Apple Watch
#1 Weather app for iPad from iPadOS 16
After Apple overhauled the Weather app in iOS 15, we hoped that an iPad version would also be released a year later. And that's happening now! The new iPad version of Weather shows the same information as the iPhone version, but in a special design for the big screen. There's also a sidebar where you can see at a glance the weather of the locations you've saved.
Weather also works with Split View, so you can use another app alongside it and the view will adjust automatically. The widget for the Weather app already had the iPad, but it hasn't changed. You can still place a small, medium and large widget on your home screen to view the weather forecast there as well.
The radar images in the Weather app on the iPad can also be displayed in large size, without becomes completely full screen. The layout of the Weather app is dynamic, because the information blocks with, for example, weather forecasts make way for the larger radar images.
#2 Weather app for Mac from macOS Ventura
The Mac will also get a Weather app this year. This is basically the same app as on the iPad, but on the Mac. The only thing that is different is the lack of a sidebar on the Mac. It is therefore slightly more difficult to view the weather at multiple locations in one quick glance. You can also add a widget to Notification Center on the Mac to fix this.
The Weather app is open on the iMac in the center.
#3 More details about the weather forecast
The Weather app was redesigned in iOS 15 based on information tiles. These are useful for quickly seeing more about various topics such as temperature, air quality, wind, air pressure and more. With the new update, you can also tap these tiles for more information. This way you can find more information for many topics per day and per hour.
This fixes an issue where you can't tell if it's going to rain in the morning, afternoon, or evening for a few days in advance. Simply tap on the day in question and you will immediately view it with clear graphs. Please note that the weather forecast for several days is not always very precise. So keep an eye on it more regularly if it is very important to you. As the moment approaches, the prediction becomes more accurate.
#4 Weather app as animation on your iPhone lock screen
Would you like to be regularly informed about the weather situation at your current location? Then you can set a Weather wallpaper from iOS 16. This wallpaper shows the weather conditions, but no text and explanation. So you only see animations about basic things like ‘sun’, ‘rain’, ‘clouds’ etcetera. If it rains, the drops will flow over your screen. When it's sunny, you'll see your screen glow bright blue. Except on the lock screen, you can pass this to the home screen.
#5 Weather widgets on the iPhone lock screen
If you pay close attention, you have already spotted another function on the screenshot above. You can also add widgets to your lock screen, including several Weather widgets. This way you can quickly view the forecast at your current location. There are multiple widgets to choose from, including phase of the moon, temperature, and air quality.
#6 Severe Weather Notifications
Is there a severe weather coming at one of your saved locations or your current location? You will receive a notification from iOS 16, but only if you enable it beforehand. This requires that you always give the Weather app access to your location. That way you won't be warned about severe weather until much too late.
#7 WeatherKit API for weather forecasts in other apps
Developers of apps can also use the renewed Weather app. This is possible with the new WeatherKit API. It allows an app to pull data from the same source as Apple's Weather app and implement it in a stylish way. This can come in handy in several ways. A developer can build their own weather app with a different approach than Apple's version, but with the same data. For example, a day trip app can also show the weather at an attraction so that you can judge whether it is such a good idea.
#8 Weather improvements on Apple Watch< /h2>
Finally, the Apple Watch has also received some improvements for the Weather app. For example, you can now add up to fifty locations (this was twenty) and the Weather app on the Apple Watch shows more information. You will now also see the humidity and visibility at your set locations.
More about iOS 16
iOS 16 is the major update for the iPhone. If you want to know whether your iPhone is suitable for iOS 16, you will find the answer in our article. Also read our overview with the best iOS 16 functions. Currently, only developers can install the iOS 16 beta. The most recent stable iOS version is iOS 15.5.