Google's latest Pixel 9 phone comes with a few new AI-powered apps. One of the more under-the-radar new features is the updated Weather app. The headline new feature is the AI weather forecast that tells you what to expect in easy-to-understand language, but there are other reasons to love the new Google Weather on the Google Pixel 9. Here are my three favorite new features:
3 There is a weather chart
Google Weather, both previous and current versions, provides detailed hourly forecasts of weather, precipitation, and wind. But sometimes you want more information. That's where weather maps come in.
Previously, Google Weather didn't have weather maps. If I wanted a more accurate idea of when rain or snow would start or stop, I'd leave the app and check out the radar weather maps. The new Google Weather has those maps built in, and I've started looking at them more often.
Google Weather's radar-style weather maps look good, are easy to use, and understand, but I wish they offered more map types. The only map available is a precipitation forecast, which is useful, but it would be better if they also had cloud cover and wind maps.
2 Weather forecasts that are more useful than AI forecasts
When Google announced its new Weather app, it highlighted an AI-powered forecast that summarises the important information about the day's weather in easy-to-understand natural language text. This is good, but it mostly repeats the information you see when you scroll down. However, I think a similar feature called Weather Info is much more useful.
Weather forecasts are not long-winded descriptions of the weather forecast for the day, but short summaries of upcoming weather changes you need to know about. Helpful one-liners like “There's a good chance of rain around 3pm” or “Temperatures are expected to drop over the next few days.” I think these quick glimpses of weather trends are far better than a full, lengthy AI-written forecast.
1 You can customize the layout
In the new Google Weather app, you can rearrange the elements you see to place the information you care about closer to the top of the page. By default, the AI weather panel is at the top, followed by the hourly forecast and weather insight tips. You can then long-press on different elements to navigate around the page.
It would be nice to be able to remove elements you don't care about — you can hide the AI report in the app's settings, but it's otherwise static — but it would be nice to be able to move the visibility widget further down the screen.
A better app without the frog
The familiar weather frog mascot from Google's previous weather interface is sadly nowhere to be found in the new weather app. But aside from that (not insignificant) shortcoming, we think the new app is an improvement in many ways. The updated Google Weather app comes pre-installed on Google Pixel 9 smartphones. For other devices, you can get the app from APK Mirror. If you still miss frogs, try Frog Weather. It's a simple and fun app.
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Google Pixel 9
The Pixel 9 is the most affordable of Google's 2024 flagships, and while it does make some compromises compared to the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL, it still has all the smarts that Google has become known for in this lineup. An upgraded 48MP ultra-wide camera is paired with a 50MP main shooter, and the selfie camera now has autofocus. All of this comes with new Gemini AI features and a 2,700-nit Actua display, making it exceptional value at the price point.
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Google Pixel 9 Pro
The Pixel 9 Pro is a new addition to Google's lineup, positioned as a smaller premium flagship counterpart to the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the latter of which is a direct successor to 2023's Pixel 8 Pro, despite the new XL designation. The Pixel 9 Pro, meanwhile, brings a new form factor to Google's high-end offerings, sporting the same dimensions as the standard Pixel 9 model but with all the AI and camera performance we've grown accustomed to in Google's Pro lineup.
