Weather apps are remarkably invasive. Most of them collect your location data even when you're not using them, sell it to data brokers, and use it for ad targeting. The New York Times reported in 2018 that weather apps were among the worst offenders for unauthorized location sharing.
If you've never thought about this, it's worth checking what permissions your weather apps have right now.
Why Weather Apps Want Your Data
Weather data itself is free (NOAA, Open-Meteo, and others provide public APIs). The monetization model for most "free" weather apps isn't the weather — it's the location data. Precise, timestamped location data is extremely valuable to advertisers.
Apps like The Weather Channel, Weather Underground, and AccuWeather have all faced scrutiny or lawsuits over location data practices. Dark Sky (now owned by Apple) was genuinely better about this, but Apple shut down the Android and web versions in 2022.
Privacy-Friendly Alternatives
1. Open-Meteo (no account, no tracking)
Open-Meteo is a free, open-source weather API with no API key required and no tracking. You can use it directly in scripts or apps, or find apps built on it.
2. Weather & Clock Dashboard (Firefox extension)
For people who primarily want weather in their browser, Weather & Clock Dashboard is a Firefox new tab extension that uses location-based weather with no backend data collection. It's MIT licensed, pure HTML/CSS/JS, and you can inspect every line of code. The source is on GitHub.
I started using it after getting frustrated with weather widgets that felt like they were "phoning home." Replacing my new tab with a weather + world clocks display meant I didn't need a separate weather app at all — the forecast is just there when I open a new tab.
3. wttr.in (terminal/browser)
wttr.in gives you weather in the browser or terminal. It's IP-based (no GPS), which means it's less precise but also less invasive. No account, no tracking, open-source.
4. Windy (for detailed forecasting)
Windy.com is more sophisticated — it's designed for aviation and outdoor sports. It doesn't require an account and doesn't track you aggressively. The UI is more complex but the data depth is impressive.
5. Rain Viewer (radar focus)
If you primarily want radar, Rain Viewer provides global radar without aggressive data collection. They have a free app with location access but it's not as invasive as mainstream weather apps.
What to Look For in a Weather App's Privacy Policy
When evaluating any weather app:
- Does it share location data with "partners"? This is the flag phrase for selling your data.
- Does it access location in background? No legitimate weather app needs your location when you're not using it.
- What happens if you say no to precise location? A privacy-respecting app should still work with approximate location.
- Is it open source? For browser extensions especially, open source is the gold standard — you can verify what it actually does.
The Permission Audit
On Android: Settings → Privacy → Permission manager → Location → check which apps have "Allow all the time" (vs "While using app"). Any weather app with "Allow all the time" is suspect.
On iOS: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → scroll through apps with "Always" permission.
On desktop: your browser extensions list is the equivalent. Check about:addons in Firefox and look at the permissions for each extension. A weather extension that requests history or tabs permissions is a red flag.
Weather is one of those areas where "free" really does mean you're paying with your data. The alternatives above give you the forecast without the surveillance.
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