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Dark Sky was never free for unlimited use. It’s now Apple’s WeatherKit. The first 500K calls a month is free with a $99 a year Apple Developer account and the

Dark Sky was never free for unlimited use. It’s now Apple’s WeatherKit. The first 500K calls a month is free with a $99 a year Apple Developer account and there is a standard REST API for none Apple OS’s.

kjkjadksj 1y ago
I feel its not nearly as useful as the old darksky api. The secret sauce of that software was that it combined typical weather data with local reports. Afaik there is no way to submit a weather report on the apple weather app. They bought it for the name and to kill a competing option essentially vs attempting to use what made that app actually compelling compared to other weather apps.
- OptionOfT 1y ago
  There actually is. At the bottom - report an issue.
- svarrall 1y ago
  If you scroll down on to the bottom of Apple Weather it has a “Report an Issue” button which allows you to report current weather conditions at your location. I have no idea what happens to that data and if it contributes to the report in any way.
  - kjkjadksj 1y ago
    Wow I would have assumed that was to report a bug not a weather call. Darksky had a great ui for quickly reporting the weather and encouraged it as the primary feature of the app.
margalabargala 1y ago
> The first 500K calls a month is free with a $99 a year[...] They may be included with your $99/year subscription, but to call them "free" is like saying that the groceries I'm holding are free because I just gave the cashier money.
- hoosier2gator 1y ago
  I would say it's more like saying that driving on the highway is free because you pay taxes. I doubt anyone is buying a developer account specifically for weather API calls.
  - margalabargala 1y ago
    Lots of people drive on highways who pay no highway taxes, foreign tourists for example. It's free like riding the monorail at Disney World is free; included in the cost of your entry ticket, and utterly inaccessible to anyone who has not paid.
    - bigiain 1y ago
      Lots of people get the weather forecasts from tv or radio for free. Weather forecasts aren't "utterly inaccessible" the way the Disney monorail is.
      - margalabargala 1y ago
        Not from the Dark Sky API they don't. We're not talking about "weather forecasts", we're talking about a specific set of weather forecasts accessed in a particular way.
    - op00to 1y ago
      > Lots of people drive on highways who pay no highway taxes, foreign tourists for example. Highways are mostly funded through gas taxes, and registration fees for EVs. Even foreign tourists buy gasoline, or drive an EV that paid its registration fee. Also, the Disney World monorail is outside the ticket gates. You can ride it without a ticket.
      - margalabargala 1y ago
        OK fine pick some random thing that's "free" within the ticket gates but isn't what people go there for.

kjkjadksj 1y ago

I feel its not nearly as useful as the old darksky api. The secret sauce of that software was that it combined typical weather data with local reports. Afaik there is no way to submit a weather report on the apple weather app. They bought it for the name and to kill a competing option essentially vs attempting to use what made that app actually compelling compared to other weather apps.

OptionOfT 1y ago
There actually is. At the bottom - report an issue.
svarrall 1y ago
If you scroll down on to the bottom of Apple Weather it has a “Report an Issue” button which allows you to report current weather conditions at your location. I have no idea what happens to that data and if it contributes to the report in any way.
- kjkjadksj 1y ago
  Wow I would have assumed that was to report a bug not a weather call. Darksky had a great ui for quickly reporting the weather and encouraged it as the primary feature of the app.

margalabargala 1y ago

> The first 500K calls a month is free with a $99 a year[...] They may be included with your $99/year subscription, but to call them "free" is like saying that the groceries I'm holding are free because I just gave the cashier money.

hoosier2gator 1y ago
I would say it's more like saying that driving on the highway is free because you pay taxes. I doubt anyone is buying a developer account specifically for weather API calls.
- margalabargala 1y ago
  Lots of people drive on highways who pay no highway taxes, foreign tourists for example. It's free like riding the monorail at Disney World is free; included in the cost of your entry ticket, and utterly inaccessible to anyone who has not paid.
  - bigiain 1y ago
    Lots of people get the weather forecasts from tv or radio for free. Weather forecasts aren't "utterly inaccessible" the way the Disney monorail is.
    - margalabargala 1y ago
      Not from the Dark Sky API they don't. We're not talking about "weather forecasts", we're talking about a specific set of weather forecasts accessed in a particular way.
  - op00to 1y ago
    > Lots of people drive on highways who pay no highway taxes, foreign tourists for example. Highways are mostly funded through gas taxes, and registration fees for EVs. Even foreign tourists buy gasoline, or drive an EV that paid its registration fee. Also, the Disney World monorail is outside the ticket gates. You can ride it without a ticket.
    - margalabargala 1y ago
      OK fine pick some random thing that's "free" within the ticket gates but isn't what people go there for.