CARROT Weather
Outlook: sunny and snarky
£3.99 (optional IAPs) FROM Grailr, meetcarrot.com/weather NEEDS iOS 10 or later
Marrying accurate forecasting with a twisted AI, CARROT Weather is an anomaly: a fun weather
app. Select a location and you get current conditions, rainfall warnings, hourly and daily outlooks. But it adds a layer of twisted snark. It’ll merrily ‘LOL’ if it’s about to rain, call you a ‘meatbag’, and note that it hopes you get ‘embarrassing tan lines’ when the sun appears.
Beyond the oddball commentary, CARROT is a usable, colourful, data-rich app. On iPhone and iPad alike, the interface makes it easy to glance at an overview or delve into details by tapping on any given hour or day. The Today view widget is impressive, packing plenty of info into a tiny space, and yet it still leaves room for a snide remark. Only when you venture into the radar does the app stumble, its jerky offering looking dated next to the animated maps at the heart of Dark Sky.
Another drawback is that some customisation settings are behind a subscription wall; also, long-time users might dislike this update’s more conventional visuals, which lack the illustrations that once housed outlook details. But really, it feels like the app has grown up – and in a good way. It still has personality, but it’s now more usable and useful.