The Weather Channel on Monday released a redesigned app for Android smartphones and tablets that incorporates features and interface elements introduced with the major Apple iOS upgrade last year.
Version 4.0 of the Weather Channel app for Android -- which the company claimed is the first major redesign of the app since 2009 -- is available now on Google Play on mobile and tablet devices. The app displays views of current weather conditions with, for example, exact timing of when rain will begin and end, and includes easier-to-find forecasts, improved map features, richer video offerings and simpler location management, according to The Weather Co.
Toyota is the exclusive launch partner of the new The Weather Channel App. The app includes a new full-screen ad unit with a “branded background” within the app on mobile and tablet devices with weather-triggered, dayparted creative.
“Our new app is more relevant -- whether it’s an image that displays your local weather or helps to better plan your day based on rain start/stop times, it’s all about how the weather matters to each consumer,” said Cameron Clayton, president of The Weather Co.’s digital division. “Our Android redesign is a result of months of design and development based on user feedback and testing to create a deeper, more engaging weather experience.”
Overall, the Weather Channel’s apps for smartphones and tablets have been downloaded more than 100 million times, and the company generates nearly half its revenue from digital products.
Among other features, the Weather Channel’s upgraded Android app provides: new localized maps and map layers include past and future radar, severe weather bulletins, and tropical cyclone tracking; improved management for saved locations; the option to expand detailed weather data that is collapsed; the ability to share weather forecasts, maps, alerts and more with family and friends to Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.
The Weather Co., based in Atlanta, is owned by a consortium made up of Comcast’s NBCUniversal and private-equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital.
