One of the main upgrades in the new flagship from Google has been really impressive, such as the improved Google Weather app.
Initially, this was exclusive to the Pixel 9, but now the rollout is for older Pixel devices, starting with the Pixel 6. Let's take a look at the new features, how to access them, and the few exclusives that remain on the Pixel 9.
Expanded Weather App Features Now Rolling Out to Older Pixels
As 9to5Google discovered, Google had announced it would be bringing the new Pixel 9 Weather app to older generations in early October.
The rollout has begun, and all Pixel phones from the Pixel 6 qualify for the update. This opens up users of older devices to enjoy a dramatically enhanced weather experience, complete with more granular forecasts and interactive maps.
How to Update Your Pixel Weather App
- If you have a Pixel 6 or later, an automatic update will occur. Regardless, you can also check for updates manually from here:
- Open the Google Play Store on your device.
- Tap your profile picture at the top right.
- Select Manage apps and devices.
Updates here will include all of those pending to download and install, including your Weather app.
Once you are updated, the Weather application on your device will contain all the latest available features found on the Pixel 9.
For better performance, you should try to reboot your phone once the app has updated itself so it can be optimized with Android, especially the at-a-glance widget.
Accessing New Pixel Weather Apps Features
According to TechRadar, the Pixel 9 Weather app contains several new tools and features as follows:
- Real-time Radar Maps: Among the most eagerly awaited, an app now features a radar map, similar to Dark Sky, showing zones of precipitation in real-time. This feature keeps the user prepared for sudden changes in the weather.
- Detailed Metrics: The app provides data about wind speeds, UV levels, visibility, and times of sunrise and sunset that add depth to the usual forecast.
- Hourly Forecasts and Alerts: Access hourly weather forecasts, and if rain or snow is forecasted for your location, you'll get alerted.
- Daily Forecast Notifications: With this feature, enabled in the app settings, you can have a daily update of the weather to come, a detailed summary delivered right to your notifications.
These are some of the improvements that the app has seen to make it so much more useful in planning for everyday commutes or weekend plans based on the weather.
AI-Generated Weather Reports: Still a Pixel 9 Exclusive
Most of the features launched on the new Weather app are now available on previous Pixels, but the artificially created weather reports are something exclusively on the Pixel 9.
This feature runs using the Gemini Nano inside the Pixel 9; the chip generates a report on the weather for the chosen location. The Gemini Nano hardware is available within the Pixel 8 too but is set to withhold this summary from the Pixel 8.
This AI-powered report gives a summary of the weather in concise, contextual language, but it is only available to Pixel 9 users due to these hardware requirements.
Other Pixel 9 Exclusives That Haven't Rolled Out Yet
Other Pixel 9 exclusives, though, remain Pixel Screenshots and Pixel Studio. For those interested, both of those features still depend on Gemini Nano processing capabilities, making their potential availability on older variants quite remote.
But in support of its older device customers, it has decided that it must make the additional Weather functionality available to more devices and has done exactly that: added the most useful, advanced weather summing summaries to previous versions of its Pixel.
Pixel User's Welcome Upgrade
This upgrade of the Pixel 9 Weather app is a decent improvement that adds richness to the weather experience for users of recent models on the Pixel.
Most of these features are only available to Pixel 9, however, the functionality it brought to Pixel 6, 7, and 8 is a rich usability and value addition. Real-time radar and weather metrics details, personalized notifications, and more on the upgraded Weather app set Google's bar for new mobile weather forecasting standards.
As this feature goes live, Google remains concerned with the development of an integrated, powerful system through Pixel models, and in doing so, enables a user of any previous generation to enjoy cutting-edge tools without necessarily having to move to the latest device.
