Customer Reviews (500)

RFP 76 • 2025-03-23T17:05:49-07:00

Here is an important news that can affect you. It is important that will be timely and actuated. Your life could depend on it. The main reason how to dress and what you need to have with you. I welcome Fox weather in my daily life.

Tanmez • 2025-03-22T17:51:05-07:00

The U.I is user friendly and forecast are accurate and detailed, it would be helpful to have hurricane tracks on the radar for when hurricane season comes as well as labeling the oceans like the Gulf of America, Atlantic and so on!

RCH1739 • 2025-03-21T12:45:30-07:00

A report on Endangered Cougar Cubs are not a weather related issue. The article should be in the Fox News App and not the Fox Weather App.

Summary of Key Insights

The FOX Weather app is generally well-received, with a significant number of users praising its accuracy, ease of use, and comprehensive information. However, a substantial minority of users express frustration with excessive advertising, radar issues, and occasional inaccuracies. A recent UI update also caused considerable negative feedback, highlighting the importance of user-centric design and thorough testing before major changes. The app's political association also appears to be a factor for some users, both positively and negatively.

Key Strengths:

  • Perceived accuracy compared to other weather apps.
  • User-friendly interface.
  • Comprehensive weather information (hourly, 14-day forecasts, radar).
  • Live streaming news and video content.

Key Weaknesses:

  • Excessive and intrusive advertising.
  • Radar map issues (checkerboard display, limited range).
  • Occasional weather forecast inaccuracies.
  • UI update causing usability issues (subsequently reverted).
  • Widget issues with infrequent updates and display problems.

Overall Sentiment: Positive, with a significant undercurrent of frustration related to ads and radar.

Quantitative Metrics:

  • Overall Rating: Appears generally positive based on score distribution.
  • Score Distribution:
    • 1-star: 15%
    • 2-star: 7.8%
    • 3-star: 9.8%
    • 4-star: 10%
    • 5-star: 57.4%

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
  • Time Frame: Reviews appear to span from 2024 back to earlier dates, with some references dating back to the initial app launch. The update revert appears to be around August 2024.
  • Analysis Methods:
    • Sentiment analysis (qualitative assessment of positive, negative, and neutral opinions).
    • Keyword extraction (identifying frequently mentioned terms and topics).
    • Manual categorization of reviews based on themes (e.g., accuracy, ads, radar, UI).

Key User Pain Points

  • Excessive Advertising: The most frequent complaint is the high volume and intrusiveness of ads, including full-screen ads, pre-roll video ads, and ads that are difficult to dismiss. This significantly detracts from the user experience and can be especially problematic during severe weather events.
  • Radar Issues: Many users report problems with the radar map, including a "checkerboard" display instead of a map, slow loading times, limited range, and a lack of detail (e.g., missing city/county lines).
  • Inaccurate Forecasts: While many users praise the app's accuracy, others report instances of inaccurate forecasts, particularly regarding precipitation.
  • UI Issues with Update (now reverted): A recent UI update caused widespread dissatisfaction due to a less user-friendly design, truncated temperatures in the 14-day forecast, and a general feeling that the app became more difficult to use.
  • Widget Problems: Infrequent updates to home screen widgets and blank or non-functional widgets are also a common issue.
  • Alert Overload: Some users find the number of alerts excessive and overwhelming.
  • Geographic Focus: Some users feel that the app prioritizes weather coverage for the East Coast over other regions, particularly the West Coast.
  • Security Concerns: A few reviews mention security issues related to ads and potential phishing attempts.
  • Battery Drain: One user reported excessive battery usage.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Ad-Free Option: A paid subscription to remove ads is a highly requested feature.
  • Extended Radar Range: Users want the radar to show a longer time span (e.g., 6-8 hours).
  • Hurricane Track Overlay: Adding hurricane tracks to the radar map would be helpful for users in hurricane-prone areas.
  • More Layers on Radar: Users want additional radar layers, such as storm tracks, lightning, and earthquakes.
  • CarPlay Support: Integration with CarPlay is a requested feature.
  • More Frequent Widget Updates: Users want widgets to update more frequently.
  • More Detailed Wind Information: Users want hourly wind forecasts, including wind speed and direction.
  • Zip Code Search: The ability to search for weather by zip code is desired.
  • Allergy Alerts: Some users would like to see allergy information, such as pollen count.
  • Larger Font Size: Users with visual impairments want an option for larger font sizes.
  • Option to Disable Future Radar: Some users want to be able to loop past radar without future radar.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Accuracy: Many users believe that FOX Weather provides more accurate forecasts than other weather apps and TV news sources.
  • Ease of Use: The app is generally considered easy to navigate and use.
  • Comprehensive Information: Users appreciate the availability of hourly and 14-day forecasts, radar, and live streaming news.
  • 3D Radar: The 3D radar feature is a unique and well-received feature.
  • Customization: The ability to rename locations is appreciated.
  • Alerts: Push notifications for severe weather alerts are considered valuable.
  • Live Streaming: The availability of live streaming weather coverage is a significant draw.
  • Informative Articles: Users appreciate the weather-related articles and news stories.
  • Reverting UI Changes: The developer's decision to revert the unpopular UI changes was seen as a positive sign.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Address Advertising Issues: Significantly reduce the frequency and intrusiveness of ads. Explore less disruptive ad formats or offer a reasonably priced ad-free subscription option. Impact: Directly addresses the most frequent and impactful user complaint.
  • Fix Radar Issues: Resolve the radar map problems (checkerboard display, slow loading times, limited range). Ensure that the radar is reliable and provides accurate information. Impact: Improves a core feature of the app and enhances user trust.
  • Monitor and Improve Forecast Accuracy: Continuously evaluate and improve the accuracy of forecasts, particularly regarding precipitation. Impact: Maintains user confidence in the app's primary function.

Medium Priority:

  • Enhance Widget Functionality: Ensure that widgets update frequently and display correctly. Impact: Improves the at-a-glance experience for users who rely on widgets.
  • Implement Requested Features: Prioritize the implementation of frequently requested features, such as an ad-free option, extended radar range, and hurricane track overlay. Impact: Increases user satisfaction and app stickiness.
  • Optimize Alert System: Reduce the number of alerts or provide more granular control over alert settings. Impact: Prevents alert fatigue and ensures that users only receive relevant notifications.
  • Improve West Coast Coverage: Ensure that the app provides adequate weather coverage for all regions of the United States. Impact: Addresses concerns about geographic bias.

Low Priority:

  • Address Security Concerns: Thoroughly vet ads to prevent phishing attempts and other security risks. Impact: Protects users from potential harm.
  • Investigate Battery Drain: Investigate and address any potential battery drain issues. Impact: Improves user experience and prevents negative reviews.
  • Address UI/UX Issues: Ensure that the app is easy to use and navigate, even for users with visual impairments. Regularly test UI changes with a diverse group of users. Impact: Prevents future usability problems.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Hyperlocal Weather App: An app that provides highly localized weather forecasts, potentially using data from personal weather stations.
  • Customizable Weather Alerts: An app that allows users to create custom weather alerts based on specific criteria (e.g., wind speed, temperature, precipitation type).
  • Weather App with Integrated Smart Home Control: An app that automatically adjusts smart home devices (e.g., thermostat, lights) based on weather conditions.
  • Weather App for Specific Activities: Apps tailored to outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, or aviation, providing specialized weather data and forecasts.

Trends and Observations

  • Advertising Sensitivity: Users are highly sensitive to intrusive advertising in weather apps, especially during severe weather events.
  • Radar Importance: Radar is a critical feature for many users, and issues with radar functionality can lead to significant dissatisfaction.
  • UI/UX Impact: UI changes can have a major impact on user satisfaction, highlighting the importance of user-centered design.
  • Political Association: The app's association with Fox News can be a factor for some users, both positively and negatively.
  • Location Specificity: There is a desire for more accurate location based weather forecasts.
  • Feature Reversion: Developers should take note that rolling back features based on negative user feedback is often seen as a positive.

Conclusion

The FOX Weather app has a solid foundation with its accurate forecasts, user-friendly interface, and comprehensive information. However, the app's success is being undermined by excessive advertising and radar issues. Addressing these issues is crucial for maintaining user satisfaction and preventing negative reviews. Prioritizing user feedback and focusing on core functionality will be key to the app's long-term success.

Overall Recommendation: Reduce advertising, fix radar issues, and focus on core weather forecasting functionality. Consider offering an ad-free subscription option.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fox-weather-daily-forecasts/id1559236118?uo=2