6 ms·

Please Make the iPhone Weather Application Location Aware

34 points by j053003 16y ago

samratjp 16y ago
Definitely seems like a no-brainer that Apple forgot. Does this request means that the weather will get current location and update temp. when the app is opened? Or a dynamic update as you move along - I mean if this is the case, I'd love to have it while driving along and get weather updates for the route.
- hartror 16y ago
  I expect it was omitted just like copy and paste were omitted so they could get it right. But the squeaky wheel gets the oil so they haven't done anything about it. Thats my guess for what it is worth :)
spudlyo 16y ago
It also wouldn't hurt to change the icon as well. The calendar app's icon does this.
- LiveTheDream 16y ago
  +1 for changing the icon based on the primary location. I want this feature much more than location-awareness. (Jailbroken iPhone has icon-changing weather app)
  - c1sc0 16y ago
    Is it (technically & politically) possible to make the App Icon change based on App State? I thought that was restricted / impossible a while back.
    - sgman 16y ago
      Not if you're the developer of the built-in weather app.
    - DougBTX 16y ago
      Since the app bundle is signed, and the icon is inside the app bundle... no, but Apple can cheat for their own apps: Calendar's icon always shows today's date. Clock and Weather could update continuously too. For third party apps, I'd like my stopwatch to keep updating it's icon in the background, and one of my apps could do with it too. A more serious problem is not being able to update Default.png, so if your app loads the last view the user had, it's hard to make it seamless.
  - LiveTheDream 16y ago
    edit: I meant changing the icon based on the current weather at primary location, which should be the current location by default
- ja27 16y ago
  Move somewhere where it's never 73 and sunny. That way you'll never be confused.
- logic 16y ago
  The "Weather Icon" app from Cydia accomplishes this. There's a similar WinterBoard extension for the clock ("LiveClock"). Both work wonderfully. (Edit: it changes based on the weather and the time, not based on geolocation.)
adamtmca 16y ago
I'd love to see other applications be able to pull current weather from the location aware weather app.
usaar333 16y ago
Aren't there apps that can do this?
- harshpotatoes 16y ago
  reproduces functionality of apple's products?
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
jolan 16y ago
I've wanted this forever. I made http://geoipweather.com/ http://geoipweather.com/ for my own use but GeoIP's (free) database is pretty bad, and damn near useless when using AT&T proxy servers via 3G.
mambodog 16y ago
I like that it showed me the weather in Fahrenheit, even though I'm in Australia. Location aware...ish.
- Naga 16y ago
  I'm pretty sure it shows Fahrenheit everywhere by default.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
izendejas 16y ago
that or this device (and other phones) should come with a thermometer. then you could do distributed (aka, "participatory") sensing. :) http://urban.cens.ucla.edu/vision/ http://urban.cens.ucla.edu/vision/
- c1sc0 16y ago
  Unless you put your iPhone in a place where body heat can't warm it an an electronic thermometer is pretty useless. Most mountaineering watches (Suunto & Co) show the correct temp. only after 20 mins. or so. And that's without taking into account the heat the device itself produces, which may be non-negligible for the iPhone.
qq66 16y ago
I see these sentence-long domain names with static content from time to time. What motivates people to do this instead of a tweet or similar?
- pak 16y ago
  permanence, until the issue at hand is resolved?
- notauser 16y ago
  I can't remember seeing a tweet linked as a HN story, but this sentence long domain names get a lot of publicity every now and again. Successful strategies tend to get copied.
  - byrneseyeview 16y ago
    http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=205918 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=205918 But generally, you are correct.
geofffox 16y ago
There are plenty of other problems with this app. It is 2:49 AM EDT on Wednesday as I type this yet the app is showing me the forecast high/low for Tuesday on top.
yellowbkpk 16y ago
The My-Cast weather app shows weather based on your location by default. Full disclosure: I work on the backend systems for the app.
redcap 16y ago
What I "love" about the iPhone weather app is that it tells you the weather for Tuesday (yesterday) when today is Wednesday. (I live in Tokyo but I guess this would be the same for Australia as well)
BrianHammond 16y ago
Rejected: location-aware weather can be obtained by looking out the window.
nhooey 16y ago
Maybe adding one of the most vital parts about the weather, humidity, would also help. How on earth are you supposed to know if 25 °C or 77 °F is going to be sweaty and uncomfortable, if you don't know what the humidity is?

34 points by j053003 16y ago

Definitely seems like a no-brainer that Apple forgot. Does this request means that the weather will get current location and update temp. when the app is opened? Or a dynamic update as you move along - I mean if this is the case, I'd love to have it while driving along and get weather updates for the route.

hartror 16y ago
I expect it was omitted just like copy and paste were omitted so they could get it right. But the squeaky wheel gets the oil so they haven't done anything about it. Thats my guess for what it is worth :)

spudlyo 16y ago

It also wouldn't hurt to change the icon as well. The calendar app's icon does this.

LiveTheDream 16y ago
+1 for changing the icon based on the primary location. I want this feature much more than location-awareness. (Jailbroken iPhone has icon-changing weather app)
- c1sc0 16y ago
  Is it (technically & politically) possible to make the App Icon change based on App State? I thought that was restricted / impossible a while back.
  - sgman 16y ago
    Not if you're the developer of the built-in weather app.
  - DougBTX 16y ago
    Since the app bundle is signed, and the icon is inside the app bundle... no, but Apple can cheat for their own apps: Calendar's icon always shows today's date. Clock and Weather could update continuously too. For third party apps, I'd like my stopwatch to keep updating it's icon in the background, and one of my apps could do with it too. A more serious problem is not being able to update Default.png, so if your app loads the last view the user had, it's hard to make it seamless.
- LiveTheDream 16y ago
  edit: I meant changing the icon based on the current weather at primary location, which should be the current location by default
ja27 16y ago
Move somewhere where it's never 73 and sunny. That way you'll never be confused.
logic 16y ago
The "Weather Icon" app from Cydia accomplishes this. There's a similar WinterBoard extension for the clock ("LiveClock"). Both work wonderfully. (Edit: it changes based on the weather and the time, not based on geolocation.)

adamtmca 16y ago

I'd love to see other applications be able to pull current weather from the location aware weather app.

usaar333 16y ago

Aren't there apps that can do this?

harshpotatoes 16y ago
reproduces functionality of apple's products?
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]

jolan 16y ago

I've wanted this forever. I made http://geoipweather.com/ http://geoipweather.com/ for my own use but GeoIP's (free) database is pretty bad, and damn near useless when using AT&T proxy servers via 3G.

mambodog 16y ago

I like that it showed me the weather in Fahrenheit, even though I'm in Australia. Location aware...ish.

Naga 16y ago
I'm pretty sure it shows Fahrenheit everywhere by default.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]

izendejas 16y ago

that or this device (and other phones) should come with a thermometer. then you could do distributed (aka, "participatory") sensing. :) http://urban.cens.ucla.edu/vision/ http://urban.cens.ucla.edu/vision/

c1sc0 16y ago
Unless you put your iPhone in a place where body heat can't warm it an an electronic thermometer is pretty useless. Most mountaineering watches (Suunto & Co) show the correct temp. only after 20 mins. or so. And that's without taking into account the heat the device itself produces, which may be non-negligible for the iPhone.

qq66 16y ago

I see these sentence-long domain names with static content from time to time. What motivates people to do this instead of a tweet or similar?

pak 16y ago
permanence, until the issue at hand is resolved?
notauser 16y ago
I can't remember seeing a tweet linked as a HN story, but this sentence long domain names get a lot of publicity every now and again. Successful strategies tend to get copied.
- byrneseyeview 16y ago
  http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=205918 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=205918 But generally, you are correct.

geofffox 16y ago

There are plenty of other problems with this app. It is 2:49 AM EDT on Wednesday as I type this yet the app is showing me the forecast high/low for Tuesday on top.

yellowbkpk 16y ago

The My-Cast weather app shows weather based on your location by default. Full disclosure: I work on the backend systems for the app.

redcap 16y ago

What I "love" about the iPhone weather app is that it tells you the weather for Tuesday (yesterday) when today is Wednesday. (I live in Tokyo but I guess this would be the same for Australia as well)

BrianHammond 16y ago

Rejected: location-aware weather can be obtained by looking out the window.

nhooey 16y ago

Maybe adding one of the most vital parts about the weather, humidity, would also help. How on earth are you supposed to know if 25 °C or 77 °F is going to be sweaty and uncomfortable, if you don't know what the humidity is?