Hidden code suggests standalone Google Weather app is coming to Android soon
Earlier this month we told you that Google Weather is going to get a Material You makeover even though the famous Google Weather frog will still be around. Ribb-it, Ribb-it. Currently, Google Weather is actually part of the Google Search app and you can access it by tapping the local weather box at the top of the Google Discover page (swipe to the right from the first home screen page) or on the Google Search app.
Now, 9to5Google has discovered code in the latest update to version 7.5 of the Google Clock app that seems to indicate that Google will release a standalone Weather app for Android users. With a discovered package name of com.google.android.apps.weather, it seems that Google is finally divorcing its weather site from Google Search. Consider that the package name for the Wear OS version of the Weather app is the similar com.google.android.wearable.weather. The icon for the new Android weather app could be the same as the one currently used on Android and Wear OS.
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Additionally, the Clock app will soon allow you to see “Local weather on clock.” Local weather could mean that you will see the current temperature, the high and low temperatures for the day, and the current weather conditions for the cities you track. The same information could also show up on the Clock app’s widgets.
In version 7.5 of the Google Clock app, Google has hidden away useful weather-related phrases including (in alphabetical order” “Blizzard, Clear day, Cloudy, Drizzle, Flurries, Low visibility, Heavy rain, Nighttime isolated scattered thunderstorms, Rain with sleet or hail, Tropical storm or hurricane, and Very hot.”
Current Google Weather page at left and center with the Material You makeover at right. Image credit 9to5Google
We could see Google release its new weather app sometime next month before the June 20th arrival of the Pixel Tablet and the release a week later of the Pixel Fold. The new standalone Google Weather app is expected to be more polished than the current cartoon-looking weather page associated with the mobile platform.
There are plenty of third-party weather apps for Android users as a quick look through the Google Play Store will attest to. Some of the more popular weather apps are the ones that would normally come to your mind first such as The Weather Channel and AccuWeather.