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Weather Light app icon

Weather Light

The 2013 hit is back in a 2026 edition: Apple Weather forecasts, rain radar, widget, lock screen and 26 languages, still with the flashlight that won the App Store. Free.

Download on the App Store
Weather Light - current weather and the next few hours
Weather Light - 24-hour and 10-day forecast

Weather Light reached the App Store in March 2013 with one idea no weather app had thought of: the flashlight. Tap the sun, the weather appears and light comes out of the back of the phone. Drag a cloud over the sun and the light strobes. That small idea made it a hit: thousands of downloads, and to this day, 13 years later, first place for "weather light" in App Store search.

In 2026 it was rebuilt from the ground up, under the same store record, with everything a weather app needs today. The flashlight stayed, of course.

What the 2026 edition has

Why rebuild a 13-year-old app

The original was written for iOS 5 and is 32-bit. Since iOS 11 (2017) no new iPhone can install it, and Apple announced it would be removed from the store. And yet, whoever searches "weather light" in the store finds it first, in the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom and Germany. The name, the ratings and the old "Ads free" purchase are worth more than a new app with a new name. So everything underneath was replaced, and the record stayed.

Under the hood

Expo and React Native with TypeScript, a small Swift module that talks to Apple WeatherKit and to the camera flash, and the widget and lock screen written in expo-widgets. No server: the data comes straight from Apple and RainViewer, and your location is stored nowhere outside the device. The app is free and funded by a small ad; a one-time purchase removes it, and whoever bought it in 2013 gets it back with one tap on Restore purchases.

Links

Technology

iOS · App Store26 languagesApple WeatherKitRainViewer radarWidget and Live ActivityReact Native + Expo

FAQ

Why a flashlight in a weather app?

Because that is what the app was from day one, in 2013: tap the sun and the weather appears together with light from the phone. People loved it then, and it stayed. Drag a cloud over the sun and the light strobes, exactly like before.

Where does the weather come from, and how accurate is it?

From Apple Weather, the same source as the built-in iPhone Weather app. Hourly forecast for ten days, with severe weather alerts from the local authority. A forecast is an estimate: before a hike, a flight or a sail, check your local meteorological service too.

Is the app free?

Yes. A small banner at the bottom of the screen and an occasional ad on returning to the app cover the costs. A one-time Remove ads purchase removes both for good, on every device signed into the same Apple account.

I bought Ads free in 2013. Does it still count?

Yes. The purchase kept its product id in the store, and Settings has a Restore purchases button that brings it back on any device signed into the same Apple account. No need to pay again.

What does the app know about me?

Only your location, only while in use, to fetch the weather. The coordinates go to Apple and are stored on no server of the app. No account, no sign-up, no server of our own. The flashlight needs no camera permission.

What does the radar show, and why is the map empty?

The radar shows where it is raining now and where it will in the next two hours, from public weather radars. On a dry day the map is simply clear, and in regions without a public radar it stays empty even when it rains.

How do I add the widget?

Long-press the home screen, tap the plus in the corner, search Weather Light and pick a size. The widget shows the last weather the app fetched and refreshes every time you open it.

What is the weather on the lock screen?

A Live Activity: the temperature and the next hours on the lock screen and in the Dynamic Island, without opening the app. Turn it on in Settings; it is off by default.

The old version still works for me. Do I have to update?

If you have an old iPhone with the 2013 version, you can keep using it. The new version needs iOS 16 or later, and on an old device the store offers the last version that fits it.

Why is there no Android version?

The original record is an App Store one, and that is where the name carries weight. An Android version follows if the new release finds its audience.

Which languages does the app speak?

26, switchable in Settings regardless of the device language: Hebrew, Arabic, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Turkish, Polish, Ukrainian, Greek, Romanian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Vietnamese and Thai.

Does the flashlight drain the battery?

No. It turns itself off when you leave the app, so it never stays on in your pocket.

Can it show Fahrenheit?

Yes. Settings has Celsius or Fahrenheit, and light or dark mode.