Apple buys Dark Sky weather app, shuts down Android version

Brief:

Apple acquired Dark Sky and will shut down the Android version of the popular weather information app. While the iOS version of Dark Sky won't change, the Android version isn't available to download any longer and will end service on July 1, Dark Sky announced in a blog post.
Dark Sky's website will continue to provide weather forecasts, maps and embeds until July 1. After that, the website will remain active in support of Dark Sky's application program interface (API) and iOS customers. Active subscribers will receive a refund.
Dark Sky isn't accepting any new signups for its API, which will continue to operate through the end of the year, per the blog. Terms of the agreement weren't disclosed.

Insight:

Apple's acquisition of Dark Sky likely won't have a significant effect on mobile marketers, given that the app doesn't sell advertising and instead generates income from download and subscription fees. But by adding Dark Sky to its stable of in-house apps, Apple may make its mobile devices more appealing to people who own rival devices running Android. Shoring up iPhone sales will be crucial for Apple as the coronavirus pandemic has already caused the company to alert investors that it does not expect to meet its latest revenue guidance.

The suspension of Android service may disappoint many users who rely on Dark Sky for hyperlocal weather reports based on information gathered from iPhone sensors and crowdsourced summaries. For iOS users, the addition of Dark Sky will save them the annual subscription fee and the possibility of integrations with other Apple apps.

Apple typically doesn't comment on acquisitions, making its strategy for Dark Sky unclear. However, Apple's Weather app has received criticism for poor design and the lack of features found in other weather apps, Inc. magazine reported. Apple might integrate Dark Sky with its other services, such as its Apple Maps navigation app that provides turn-by-turn driving directions, or its Safari web browser and Mail app. App developers that had used the Dark Sky Forecast API will have to find another source of weather information by the end of the year.