AccuWeather is unifying the iOS user experience with on-the-minute weather forecasts via MinuteCast.
MinuteCast is bringing the iPad experience up to par with the feature set of iPhone and iPod touch versions of the AccuWeather app, explains William Smith, VP of digital media tech operations for AccuWeather Inc. The forecasting feature, which churns out reports to a user's GPS location, first arrived on iOS in 2014.
"Prior to this app update, AccuWeather offered a separate app experience for iPad," Smith tells Tech Times. "Now iPad users have access to the same award-winning app experience previously only available through the AccuWeather app developed for iPhone and iPod touch users."
Along with delivering MinuteCast, the unified experience lets Apple users automatically download the AccuWeather app across all iOS devices. The app's interface has been streamlined to provide a consistent user interface, adds Smith.
AccuWeather's MinuteCast is accompanied by severe weather notices released via push, weather animation and radar maps. Users also can get national and local weather forecasts for the next 72 hours or 15 days.
The Android version of the AccuWeather app already underwent a unified experience across tablets and smartphones. AccuWeather delivered the MinuteCast widget to the Android Wear platform on Jan. 6.
"This is an exciting opportunity for AccuWeather to deliver weather information in innovative new ways to users," said Smith in a statement back on Jan. 6. "As the global weather leader, we provide weather forecasts wherever, whenever, and however our users most want them."
With 2015 just kicking off, the Android app versions haven't seen the last of tweaking for the year. Smith says AccuWeather plans to refresh the Android version before 2015 concludes.
"We have a totally new Android app planned for winter 2015 that will include an update in design, interface and functionality," Smith told Tech Times.
But before AccuWeather rolls out its next package of updates on Android, the Windows 8 version of the app may see some major improvements. After releasing MinuteCast for Windows 8 tablets in November 2014, AccuWeather revealed the release was a major step toward unifying its experience across the Windows 8 platform.
"We partner with all major manufacturers of digital devices worldwide to develop award-winning apps for all major platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry, and serve over 8.5 billion data requests every day," Smith said.
