Google Launches Configurable News and Weather Apps For iOS and Android

Google may be an archrival of Apple, but you know what they say: keep your enemies closer. The search giant has never shied away from producing excellent apps for the iOS ecosystem. After all, a Google user on an Apple phone is still a Google user. In a bid to continue to expand its footprint in the Apple App Store, Google has just published a "News and Weather" app for iOS that combines two of the most commonly used scenarios on a smartphone into a single, tailored app experience.


The News and Weather app works on iPhone and iPad, but the visual cues are straight from Android. It's an interesting dynamic, but it looks pretty snazzy even on Apple's newest version of iOS. For avid Google users, the app allows you to customize what you're being fed from both weather and news sources. So, if you use your Google profile to customize what kinds of information you want, it'll be ported over the app. The usual categories are there (Tech, Business, Sports, Health, etc.), and the weather portion of the app delivers exactly what you'd expect: current weather where you are, plus a forecast.


Google's entering into two very crowded markets here, but it just might work: those who routinely visit Google's web properties to look for news and weather can now have that same tailored experience on an iOS product. Best of all, the app is free to download.