Popular iOS app is sold to a mystery buyer for an unknown price. App will shut down next year
You might think that weather apps are a dime a dozen. After all, how many ways can mundane data be presented? But there are some popular weather apps that do stand out on the iOS and Android platforms. The Weather Channel, Accu-Weather, and even Apple's own Currently are some of the weather apps that yours truly uses. Another popular app in this genre is Weather Line.
In a press release on Monday, Weather Line said "In recent months, we were approached by a buyer. They saw the uniqueness of Weather Line and the strong foundation we’ve built. While we aren’t able to provide further details on their future plans for the app, we hope you can understand, and will look forward to it." In other words, a mysterious buyer has agreed to purchase the app which will close for good on April 1st, 2022. The app has been removed from the App Store but will still be available for free and paid members until April Fool's Day of next year.
For users worried that the sale of the Weather Line app will include their user data, the company responded by saying "Rest assured that no user data, email addresses, payment information, or any other sensitive data was transferred to Weather Line’s new owners. This data has not and will not be sold."
We wonder why the deal to purchase Weather Line is shrouded in such cloak and dagger. Eventually we will find out the name of the app's buyer and what they plan to do with it. Just don't use the sale to get angry at the app's founders, Kevin Clark and Ryan Jones. As they wrote in the company's blog, "As an Indie Founder without a day job, being able to sell an app provides for my family in a very difficult climate. There’s a poster on my wall that says, “Make something people want.” While this marks the closing of one chapter, I am humbled and honored to have been able to create something people want. Your support and belief over the last nine years has helped me accomplish that, and I’m so incredibly blessed and thankful."
Last month, we counted down the top ten iOS widgets that you actually need in your life and coming in at number six was Weather Line. And for those of you who feel slighted by the sale and feel that something near and dear to you has been taken from your life, all active SuperCharge subscriptions have been extended for free and will continue to be available in this manner until the app shuts down. There is no reason why you ever be charged again by Weather Line.
In an interview back in 2013, co-founder Ryan Jones explained how Weather Line came to be. He said, "I've literally had [(the idea for Weather Line) in my head since the first time I saw the Stocks.app in iPhone OS 1. I thought [the interface] was obvious and someone would do it. Maybe even Apple. Then I thought I was an idiot and there was an obvious reason no one was doing it. That I was missing something. Then I thought it wasn't "different enough". That there were too many good weather apps, and a better presentation may not be enough to sell apps. Then I finally said "I just have to know the answer, I'll make it myself."
Running through the App Store looking for a weather app is a pain in the butt for many. If you want to make things simple, the native iOS Weather app, powered by The Weather Channel, should provide you with all of the information you need to figure out what to expect weather-wise over the next week.
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