For Australians talking about the weather can be a fairly extreme time, it was -6° here in Canberra earlier this week, while up in Darwin they’re looking at 30°. The team at Shifty Jelly have made one of our favourite weather apps – Pocket Weather AU for some time now, but it’s time to call it quits with the Shifty Jelly team announcing the app is being removed from Google Play (and the iOS app store).
The decision to end Pocket Weather AU comes in the wake of the recent acquisition of Shifty Jelly by a public radio consortium to further their work on the award winning Pocket Casts podcast player.
Chief Product Officer at Pocket Casts, Russell Ivanovic announced the end in a melancholy post on the Shifty Jelly blog today, announcing that they ‘are removing the iOS and Android versions from the store today, so they will no longer be for sale’.
The back end supporting the beautiful and brilliantly functional Pocket Weather AU app won’t go away immediately, with Russell advising that the servers will remain on ‘for at least the next 12 months and probably longer’. Once they go though, that’s it.
They did attempt to shop around the app and the related back end infrastructure to other developers out there, but it’s a big ask for an app that’s so specifically Australian focused and the back-end server costs can’t be insignificant.
As a measure of good faith – and evidence that they’re just good blokes – they’ve generously offered a refund of the app to anyone who recently purchased Pocket Weather AU from either Google Play or the iOS app store. If you’re that way inclined, you can reach out to them on their Twitter account: @pocketweatherau.
The Ausdroid team are of course a little devastated by the news, we love Pocket Weather AU and we’re sad to see them go. A big thanks to Russell, Phil, Chris and the rest of the Pocket Weather team for the years we got out of Pocket Weather, we really loved it.
Is anyone still using this? I completely forgot that ONE YEAR AGO they were meant to shut down but my app still works?!
Oh this is devastating!! this is the BEST weather app EVER!!
Oh, no! I love this app. None of the other weather apps come close to it. 😥
Oh, no! I love this app. None of the others come close to it. 😢
Anyone want to crowd fund to keep this thing going? I’d be more than happy to pay a subscription for this great app!
Any recommendations for an equivalent excellent weather App ?
BoM loads fine. Tides dead. Damn. Loved this app.
Man I have used this app for at least 9-10 years! Been through so many versions with Pocket Weather Australia. Thank you for all the years of service!
So sad this app is near the end of its life. I’ve love it for years. It does BOM data better than the BOM app (no offence BOM) including daily min and max temps and current observations. Maybe BOM should take some of your features and build them into their official app? So sad – thanks shifty jelly for years of satiating my obsession with the weather so beautifully:)
I have just found out this news after trying to load tides data for2019 and not succeeding. I am so sad to lose this most favorite app that i use daily. No other app compares. Shifty Jelly team- thanks so much for years of a very fine product indeed. I am so very sad.
I’ve been trying to find this for mate and now know why,i boat and camp a lot and when i’m out of service this app gave me tidal info which is what i loved about it. is there another app does this.
Devo’d! Loved this app as it also showed the tides.
Do any other weather apps show the tides?
Very sad this app is gone. 🙁
Please recommend an app which shows the next 7 days of weather in a vertical order on the main screen. The App Store is full of ‘pretty pictures ‘ but I just want the content in the right order. (Got a new phone and ended up googling onto this page due to not being able to find the weather. )
Servers up for 12 months my ass, iOS app hast updated for 5 days. Thought it was a bug so deleted it after an app reset and a restart of the phone and it’s gone. This was before I found this post.
When I find out the radio consortium that acquired the company they will be the last radio broadcaster I listen to.
OMG! I have not been getting the feels like temp and just found my battery running down faster because of Pocket Weather au. I couldn’t work it out so uninstalled to reinstall. I was looking for Shifty Jelly…. Shifty Jelly….. Nothing! This was the first app I ever bought and it has been a workhorse for me. Beautiful to look at, beautiful to use and has been through 3 phones with me looking after clothes choices (I live in the Blue Mountains), whether I needed a brolly, allowing me to advise my elderly mother on dressing warmly in Sydney, telling… Read more »
Was trying to find pocket weather au for a friend – very sad to hear it is no more 😢
I use this App all the time, the best weather app ever written. That’s a shame.
Gutted! This was the app I turned to first thing in the morning and said goodnight to every evening before bed.
noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Their widget is the best looking weather app! Sadly be missed 🙁
Type weather into Google.
Nooooooooooooooo! The key thing I love about it, is that it’s sourced direct from BOM.
Oh man, I’m in a job that depends on what the weather is doing and probably open pocket weather 5-10 times a day. Good run though
that’s a real shame, I love this app. Maybe a gofundme page by Ausdroid to take it over?
As an alternative try weather timeline – forecast in the app store.
Noooooo!
Bugger, this has been the first app I install by default every time I do a clean install. Owned it for years. Not just for the BOM source but because it has the best widgets by far.
My world just ended… Best app ever… Thanks for all your hard work and funny replies to my emails Shiftjelly guys!
What a shame. Best weather app.
Nooooo…….. One of my favourite and most used apps!
Devo… This is one of my favourite Aussie apps 😔
That’s really sad news. Pocket Weather has been my goto weather app since its release. A terrific product.
What do you suggest as replacements?
Type temp into google
The BOM app isn’t too bad these days – but I still prefer pocket weather.
Aus Weather
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.benjanic.ausweather