Tech

Apple just bought the beloved weather app Dark Sky, and it's shutting down the Android version

dark sky iphone app
Dark Sky, the app, being used on an iPhone. Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
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The acclaimed weather app Dark Sky is Apple's latest acquisition, the app's developers announced on Tuesday.

"Our goal has always been to provide the world with the best weather information possible, to help as many people as we can stay dry and safe, and to do so in a way that respects your privacy," the company said in a blog post. "There is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple."

It's big news that comes with big implications for current Dark Sky users.

For iOS users, things will remain relatively unchanged. "There will be no changes to Dark Sky for iOS at this time," the note says. "It will continue to be available for purchase in the App Store."

For all the Dark Sky users on Android, however, things are a bit more complicated: "The app will no longer be available for download. Service to existing users and subscribers will continue until July 1, 2020, at which point the app will be shut down. Subscribers who are still active at that time will receive a refund."

Dark Sky apple watch
Dark Sky is also available for Apple Watch.  WatchAware

That unfortunate detail aside, the news is huge for the developers of Dark Sky. 

The app went from scrappy startup to Apple subsidiary in nine years. Dark Sky originally launched on Kickstarter in late 2011, where the idea raised just shy of $40,000. The terms of the Apple deal weren't disclosed.

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Ben was a senior correspondent based in New York City. He specialized in coverage of video games, consumer technology, food, and culture.He has a BA in magazine journalism from Temple University. He wrote for the Philly Weekly and served as a senior reporter at Joystiq before joining Engadget as a senior editor in 2012.Ben joined Tech Insider as a member of the founding staff in April 2015 and transitioned to Insider in July 2016. He doesn't like writing in the third person.