Dark Sky was the go-to weather app for many Android users. That is, until it was removed from the Google Store after Apple launched it and made it a first-party product. Various Android apps provide similar, super-localized weather reports, but some of us are just not over the loss of Dark Sky. Fortunately, an anonymous developer pulled a Frankenstein and re-installed Dark Sky as ‘Darker Sky’ on Android.
Darker Sky is the original Dark Sky Android app redesigned as a separate application. It looks and works almost identically to the dearly departed original, with a few major exceptions.
You can not use the paid features of Dark Sky, such as severe weather warning notifications or submit your own weather reports, even if they are in the Darker Sky app. The anonymous developer tells XDA Developers they are not meant to make this work, so you will be left with the free forecast features – which are some of the best to be honest. The app displays reports on temperature, wind and precipitation, plus other useful tools such as radar views and the “Time Machine” tool. The dark theme works too.
Another quick caveat: Reverse engineering and rebuilding an app is a bold move, but doing so on an Apple-owned app is openly inviting compensation, as are most attempts to play god often. Chances are that Darker Sky’s lifespan will be short, so here’s how to download and install it if you can.
Darker Sky needs to be sideloaded on your device – for obvious reasons you will not find it on Google Play. Page loading is easy, but installing unofficial .APK files can infect your Android phone with malware. That said, I’m pretty confident in recommending Darker Sky; I downloaded and tested the app without any problem, and XDA Developers reports similar smooth, malware-free operation. It’s worth knowing the potential risks, but you’ll probably be fine this time around.
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How to install Darker Sky on Android
- Install the Telegram app if you do not already have it (you need to download the app file).
- Open this link on your phone to view the official Telegram group of the Darker Sky app.
- Tap on the “Darker Sky download” link from the chat history. (You do not have to join the group if you do not want to.)
- Tap the download banner or search and tap on the Darker Sky APK in the ‘Downloads’ folder of your device to install.
- Allow Telegram apps to be installed if requested.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
- Run Darker Sky from your device’s app launcher screen.
All future updates will be posted in the app’s official Telegram server, as long as it is available. You will need to install these new versions if you want to use new features added by the developers of Darker Sky.
If Darker Sky is hit with a declining note, it will likely stop working. If that happens, you need to look for an alternative Weather app to get your meteorological fix. Thanks very much you have plenty to choose from.
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