A unique weather app with a broad cartoonish appeal
Price: $1/£1
Size: 27.4 MB
Version: 1.o.2
Developer: Mikel Steffen
Platform: iPhone / iPad
Tinyclouds is a unique weather app. Specifically, it’s its visuals that set it apart from the competition. Tinyclouds shows you the weather in your area through a full-screen, dynamic cityscape, which shows cars and other vehicles moving through a city as the sun or rain beats down on them and clouds pass over.
But we’re not talking picturesque photographs or video, the visuals look like a game – think Crossy Road, but with more buildings. Blocky clouds drift across the speeding cars and tall buildings showing you what to expect if you go outside.
You’ll see various elements of weather in the app’s cityscape
Of course, you can access more straightforward information – by swiping up – to receive temperatures and a short description of the weather in the days ahead. This is represented in a neat little card format, with mostly text and simple icons on a white background making it very easy to use. You can view the weather by day – a week ahead – and by hour. It’s also easy to switch locations by entering a city or town, or simply choosing “current location.” And you can save multiple locations at a time.
In terms of actual weather data, you’re not going to get much more out of Tinyclouds than most other weather apps. Because like most weather apps, it is powered by Dark Sky, which, of course, also has its very own app. However, in terms of the data itself, Dark Sky is known for being very accurate.
The app also shows you hour-by-hour and the week ahead
So why use Tinyclouds? Aesthetically, it’s a joy to open. It could even be a talking point too – a unique app that, for now, few others know. In terms of getting your information from it, you can quickly glance at the city scene, or go into more detail. But it doesn’t have any weather maps or extensive information. It’s for folks that want basic information, and want it quickly.
Not a cloud in the sky in London today…
In the future, we wouldn’t mind seeing the visuals develop a little more. You only really get the one view, which you can use your finger to move around a fraction or so, but largely you’re confined to this one landscape. It makes it a little odd when you’re out in the countryside and you’re still shown the same bustling cityscape.
But really, that only gives the app more places it can go in future development. We’d love to see a pixel graphics recreation of a New York City landmark, or Big Ben in London.
The descriptions, though straightforward, don’t offer a lot more than a basic summary
For now, Tinyclouds is a solid weather app and benefits from its simplicity. Although it’s a little gimmicky, it’s a lot of fun.