Dark Sky
Help Center
iPhone
Android
Website
General
What do the timeline colors represent?
The light gray color represents a clear sky (i.e. sunny) and the darker gray colors represent varying levels of cloudiness (partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, and overcast). The blue colors represent rain, and the blue-purple colors represent snow -- the lighter variations of these colors mean the precipitation is forecasted to be light.
What does X error message mean?
- “Error retrieving forecast”, “Forecast unavailable”, or “Sorry, unable to get forecast”: The app was unable to fetch a forecast. This is usually due to connectivity issues.
- “Next hour forecast temporarily unavailable (radar station is down)”: This message means that the data from a government run radar station is down in your area. We don't have control over these stations, but this is generally fixed within a few days.
- “Detailed next hour forecast is unavailable due to lack of radar coverage” or “Detailed next hour forecast is unavailable”: We do not have enough radar data to create a reliable next hour forecast for this location.
- “Current Location Unavailable”, “Location unavailable”, or “Sorry, unable to find your location”: The app could not find your location. Please check that location is enabled and Dark Sky has the location permission enabled.
What direction are the wind arrows?
The arrows indicate the direction the wind is blowing. So if the arrows are pointing north (towards the top of the app), that means the wind is blowing from south to north.
What do the percentages mean?
The percentage shown below the day label is the probability of precipitation occurring at any time within the day. For example, if the percentage is 90%, this means we are reporting that there is a 90% chance it will rain at some point on that day.
The percentages shown if you click "Precip %" button are the probability of precipitation occurring at any time within that hour. For example, if the app showed "12AM 15%", this means we are reporting that there is a 15% chance it will rain at some point between 12am-1am.
The percentage shown in the weather condition description is the maximum hourly precipitation probability of that time block on the timeline. Using a time block of 8am-12pm and "Rain (14%)" as an example, this means one hour between 8am-12pm has a 14% chance of rain and all other hours have less than or equal to 14% chance of rain.
Why is the daily precip percentage so high when the hourly precip values are so low?
This is one confusing part of probability. While there may be just a small chance of precipitation during any individual hour, there are many chances for precipitation throughout the entire day. Because there are more chances for precipitation, the probability for the whole day will be higher than for any single hour.
The more hours you wait, the more likely it will rain during at least one of them.
Why isn’t the address my house?
We use geocoder services to determine addresses. Generally speaking this should be close to accurate, but not always perfect. It should not affect your forecasts, however, since we use your coordinates and not street address to generate the forecast.
Why aren’t you available in X?
Dark Sky is only available in the US, UK and Ireland right now, as we need radar data in each region to provide the next hour forecasts that power the core features of our mobile apps.
How do I view the current pressure, visibility, cloud cover, etc?
You can tap the current temperature at the top of the app to show more current conditions.
How do I view each hour in the timeline instead of every other hour?
You can long press on each timeline to switch between showing every hour and every other hour.
Why aren’t there arrows on the radar map on the globe?
We are working on adding the arrows to the globe. Stay tuned!
Apple Watch
Why isn't the Apple Watch updating properly?
Many times these problems are related to the operating system itself. However, please try one of the following options, as some have successfully fixed issues for other users:
- Make sure that your watch OS and iOS and Dark Sky are all running the most up-to-date versions
- Restart your watch
- Delete Dark Sky from your watch and reinstall
- Delete Dark Sky from your phone and reinstall it from the App Store
How do I change from Fahrenheit to Celsius on the Apple Watch?
Go to Dark Sky settings on your phone, and switch the units. This may take several minutes to update the watch.
General
What do the timeline colors represent?
The light gray color represents a clear sky (i.e. sunny) and the darker gray colors represent varying levels of cloudiness (partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, and overcast). The blue colors represent rain, and the blue-purple colors represent snow -- the lighter variations of these colors mean the precipitation is forecasted to be light.
What does X error message mean?
- “Error retrieving forecast”, “Forecast unavailable”, or “Sorry, unable to get forecast”: The app was unable to fetch a forecast. This is usually due to connectivity issues.
- “Next hour forecast temporarily unavailable (radar station is down)”: This message means that the data from a government run radar station is down in your area. We don't have control over these stations, but this is generally fixed within a few days.
- “Detailed next hour forecast is unavailable due to lack of radar coverage” or “Detailed next hour forecast is unavailable”: We do not have enough radar data to create a reliable next hour forecast for this location.
- “Current Location Unavailable”, “Location unavailable”, or “Sorry, unable to find your location”: The app could not find your location. Please check that location is enabled and Dark Sky has the location permission enabled.
What direction are the wind arrows?
The arrows indicate the direction the wind is blowing. So if the arrows are pointing north (towards the top of the app), that means the wind is blowing from south to north.
What do the percentages mean?
The percentage shown below the day label is the probability of precipitation occurring at any time within the day. For example, if the percentage is 90%, this means we are reporting that there is a 90% chance it will rain at some point on that day.
The percentages shown if you click "Precip %" button are the probability of precipitation occurring at any time within that hour. For example, if the app showed "12AM 15%", this means we are reporting that there is a 15% chance it will rain at some point between 12am-1am.
The percentage shown in the weather condition description is the maximum hourly precipitation probability of that time block on the timeline. Using a time block of 8am-12pm and "Rain (14%)" as an example, this means one hour between 8am-12pm has a 14% chance of rain and all other hours have less than or equal to 14% chance of rain.
Why is the daily precip percentage so high when the hourly precip values are so low?
This is one confusing part of probability. While there may be just a small chance of precipitation during any individual hour, there are many chances for precipitation throughout the entire day. Because there are more chances for precipitation, the probability for the whole day will be higher than for any single hour.
The more hours you wait, the more likely it will rain during at least one of them.
Why isn’t the address my house?
We use geocoder services to determine addresses. Generally speaking this should be close to accurate, but not always perfect. It should not affect your forecasts, however, since we use your coordinates and not street address to generate the forecast.
Why aren’t you available in X?
Dark Sky is only available in the US, UK and Ireland right now, as we need radar data in each region to provide the next hour forecasts that power the core features of our mobile apps.
How do I view the current pressure, visibility, cloud cover, etc?
You can tap the current temperature at the top of the app to show more current conditions.
How do I view each hour in the timeline instead of every other hour?
You can long press on each timeline to switch between showing every hour and every other hour.
Why aren’t there arrows on the radar map on the globe?
We are working on adding the arrows to the globe. Stay tuned!
How do I add a widget?
- Long press on an empty portion of your home screen
- Tap "Widgets"
- Find Dark Sky in the list of widgets
- Touch and hold one of the widgets
- Lift your finger to drop the widget on your home screen
Please note, these are a premium feature, so you will need a subscription to use them. Please see this article for more information: https://support.google.com/android/answer/2781850#add_widget
Why isn’t the time on the widget updating?
Excluding the Clock widget, the time on all widgets is the time the forecast was last updated, not the clock time.
Why does Google Play say the app is not compatible with my device?
Dark Sky is only available in the US, UK, and Ireland, as we need radar data in each region to provide next hour forecasts. If your Google Play Store is based in a country other than the US and UK then it will show a message that Dark Sky is not compatible with your device.
Subcriptions
What is the price of the subscription?
- US: $2.99 (plus applicable taxes) per year
- UK: £2.99 per year
Am I subscribed?
You can view a list of all your subscriptions in the Google Play Store app under “Subscriptions”.
Does the subscription renew automatically?
Yes, the subscription will renew automatically each year unless it is cancelled.
Does uninstalling the app cancel my subscription?
No, uninstalling the app will not cancel your subscription. If you uninstall the app without additionally cancelling your subscription, your account will be charged when the subscription renews.
How do I cancel my subscription?
You can cancel your subscription by tapping the “Manage Subscription” button in Settings in the app, or under “Subscriptions” in the Google Play Store app. For more help, please see this article: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/7018481
How do I renew my subscription?
Your subscription will renew automatically unless you cancel. If you have cancelled your subscription, you can re-subscribe in the app when your current subscription period ends.
How do I setup my subscription on my new device?
The subscription is tied to your Google Play account. Please make sure you are signed in with the Google account associated with your subscription when installing the app from Google Play so that the app can recognize your purchase.
Can I use my subscription on multiple devices?
Yes, your purchase of Dark Sky Premium will work across multiple devices. Please make sure you are signed in with the same Google account on all of your devices so that the app can recognize your subscription.
Can I transfer my subscription from one account to another?
Google Play does not support transferring in-app purchases from one account to another.
How do I edit my payment method?
Please see this article for more help editing your Google Play payment method: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/4646404
The app is asking me to subscribe again, how do I restore my subscription?
- Clear the cache of Dark Sky and Google Play Store apps (Settings > Apps > Dark Sky/Google Play Store > Storage > Clear cache)
- Uninstall Dark Sky from your device
- Login to play.google.com on a desktop browser with the account associated with your subscription
- Install Dark Sky to your device using the website
** Some devices required a device restart after either step 2 or step 4 in order for the fix to take effect.
I followed the steps above to restore my subscription, but the app continues to periodically ask me subscribe.
There is an issue on Google Play with multiple accounts and in-app purchases which can cause an app to become associated with the wrong account. For most users removing Dark Sky from the app library of their other accounts resolved this issue:
- Uninstall Dark Sky app from your device
- Open Google Play Store app on your device
- Switch to account that is not associated with your Dark Sky subscription
- Open "My apps & games"
- Go to "Library" tab
- Find Dark Sky app in the list, tap the "x" icon, and confirm the removal
** Repeat steps 3-6 as needed
Does the subscription work with family library?
Google Play does not allow users to share in-app purchases within the family library. Please see this article for more information: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/7007852
Location
How do I search for a new location?
If you tap the location bar at the top of the app you will be able to search for a new location. We save your past search locations so you can find them again easily.
How do I delete a location?
Tap the delete icon to remove a location
Why isn’t my address updating to my current location?
Please make sure you have Location permissions turned on for Dark Sky. Navigate to your phone’s Android Settings > Apps > Dark Sky and turn on Location permissions. If you are using Android 6, you can visit Permissions directly, to make sure Location is turned on for Dark Sky.
Dark Sky uses my location in the background when notifications are turned on. Won’t this drain my battery?
No, this should not drain your battery. Dark Sky uses Android’s built-in location services, which are designed to minimize battery usage while operating in the background.
Location
How do I search for a new location?
If you tap the location bar at the top of the app you will be able to search for a new location. We save your past search locations so you can find them again easily.
How do I delete a location?
Tap the red X next to the city name.
Why isn’t my address updating to my current location?
Please make sure you have Location Services turned on for Dark Sky. You can check by going to the iPhone Settings > App > Privacy > Location Services, and then scroll to Dark Sky.
Dark Sky uses my location in the background when notifications are turned on. Won’t this drain my battery?
No, this will not drain your battery. Dark Sky does not use GPS, which can be a big battery hog, to get your location in the background. Rather, your phone will periodically find your location via wifi and cell tower triangulation, which doesn’t have an adverse effect on battery.
Notifications
Why am I not receiving my notifications?
Make sure you’ve given permission for Dark Sky to use your location and that you haven’t removed permission for Dark Sky to send notifications. Navigate to your phone’s Android Settings > Apps > Dark Sky and turn on both Location and Notification permissions.
On Android 6 you can visit Permissions directly to make sure Location is turned on and Notifications are enabled. On Android versions 4 & 5, make sure the “Show Notifications” box is checked.
Notifications
Why am I not receiving my notifications?
Please make sure you have Location Services and Notifications turned on for Dark Sky. Location Services: you can check by going to the iPhone Settings > App > Privacy > Location Services, and then scroll to Dark Sky. It should be set to Always. Notifications: go to iPhone Settings > App > Notifications, and then scroll down to Dark Sky. It should be set to On. If neither of these solve your problem, please uninstall and redownload the app (this is free ‐ you will not be charged!).
Website
What do the timeline colors represent?
The light gray color represents a clear sky (i.e. sunny) and the darker gray colors represent varying levels of cloudiness (partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, and overcast). The blue colors represent rain, and the blue-purple colors represent snow -- the lighter variations of these colors mean the precipitation is forecasted to be light.
What direction are the wind arrows?
The arrows indicate the direction the wind is blowing. So if the arrows are pointing north (towards the top of the app), that means the wind is blowing from south to north.
What do the percentages mean?
The percentage shown below the day label is the probability of precipitation occurring at any time within the day. For example, if the percentage is 90%, this means we are reporting that there is a 90% chance it will rain at some point on that day.
The percentages shown if you click "Precip %" button are the probability of precipitation occurring at any time within that hour. For example, if the app showed "12AM 15%", this means we are reporting that there is a 15% chance it will rain at some point between 12am-1am.
The percentage shown in the weather condition description is the maximum hourly precipitation probability of that time block on the timeline. Using a time block of 8am-12pm and "Rain (14%)" as an example, this means one hour between 8am-12pm has a 14% chance of rain and all other hours have less than or equal to 14% chance of rain.
Why is the daily precip percentage so high when the hourly precip values are so low?
This is one confusing part of probability. While there may be just a small chance of precipitation during any individual hour, there are many chances for precipitation throughout the entire day. Because there are more chances for precipitation, the probability for the whole day will be higher than for any single hour.
The more hours you wait, the more likely it will rain during at least one of them.
Why isn’t the address my house?
We use geocoder services to determine addresses. Generally speaking this should be close to accurate, but not always perfect. It should not affect your forecasts, however, since we use your coordinates and not street address to generate the forecast.
Why aren’t there arrows on the radar map on the globe?
We are working on adding the arrows to the globe. Stay tuned!
Does the Time Machine show historic weather or the historic predictions?
The Time Machine reports the historic weather observations using nearby weather station observations.
In the Time Machine, how do you make predictions for the weather so far out?
We look at the historical weather from the past and create an estimate based on the averages calculated.
Can I choose my own preferred units or language?
You absolutely can. In the top right corner of the site, you can select your preferred units and language from the drop-downs.
Embeds
Can I embed your map on my website?
Yes! Take a look at our widgets page where you can choose to embed a Dark Sky widget, the map being among your options.
Can I embed your website on my website?
No. Please refer to our Terms of Service for more information. We recommend using one of our standard embed widgets instead: https://darksky.net/widgets.
Maps
What do the precipitation percentages and humidity percentages indicate?
The probability of precipitation is simply a statistical probability of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation at a given area in the given forecast area in the time period specified. For example, if a forecast for a given location says that there is a 40% chance of rain this afternoon, then there is a 40% chance of rain at any point in that location for noon to 6 p.m. local time.
The humidity percentage represents the relative humidity on a 100% scale, and tells you how saturated the air is with moisture. The higher the value, the more humid (and potentially “sticky”) it will feel.
The humidity percentage represents the relative humidity on a 100% scale, and tells you how saturated the air is with moisture. The higher the value, the more humid (and potentially “sticky”) it will feel.
What do the wind arrows indicate?
The wind arrows point in the direction in which the wind is blowing. An arrow pointing south represents a northerly wind originating from the north and moving south.
What do the colors mean on the wind maps?
The color range is from blue to red. The blue indicates a lower value while the red indicates a much higher value. A white hue indicates a value somewhere in the middle.
What’s the difference between wind gust and wind speed?
All gusts are a type of wind. A gust is a sudden increase of the wind’s speed that lasts no more than 20 seconds. This usually occurs when wind speeds reach a peak of at least 16 knots. A wind gust usually comes in 2-minute intervals.
Language Support
I wish you supported a particular language on the website. Any way I can contribute?
Sure, you can contribute to our translations repo.
Forecasts
How accurate are your weather forecasts?
We take forecasting very seriously at Dark Sky and strive to be as accurate as possible. Our team actively monitors all of the available weather data and uses it to improve the forecasts that we deliver to you. You can see our data sources here:
https://darksky.net/dev/docs/sources
In what countries are you available?
Dark Sky is available in the United States (including Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico), and the United Kingdom, and Ireland, but we are actively working to expand our coverage. Stay tuned!
Where do you get your data?
Dark Sky uses a wide range of government weather data sources, which are aggregated together statistically to provide the most accurate forecast possible for a given location. You can see our weather data sources here:
https://darksky.net/dev/docs/sources
Icons and Units
How do I change from Fahrenheit to Celsius?
You can change the units by tapping “Settings” in the app.
Have suggestions about the product?
Please send us a note
here
Dark Sky
