This winter has been an especially bad one for air quality in the San Joaquin Valley. With long stretches of high particulate matter pollution (PM 2.5), staying informed with accurate info about air quality forecasts and current conditions is important for your health. We took a look at some popular apps for both iOS and Android devices that provide air quality information.
Valley Air: (official app of Valley Air District)
Pros: Accurate information; includes both forecasts and observed data; push notifications available
Cons: Dated design; push notifications require configuration to work; currently iOS only
AirNow: (official app from EPA)
Pros: Accurate information; compatible with iOS and Android
Cons: Dated design; lack of additional features; some bugs in upcoming forecasts, not as good as AirNow website
Air Matters:
Pros: Good user experience; provides PM 2.5, PM10, and ozone; push notifications available; compatible with iOS and Android
Cons: Design emphasizes pollen over air pollutants; reliability of data
Air Visual:
Pros: Good user experience; push notifications available; uses EPA monitor data; compatible with iOS and Android
Cons: Doesn't differentiate between actual conditions and forecasts; long-term air quality forecast not useful beyond 48 hours
Weather Underground:
Pros: Air quality info from official and crowd-sourced monitors; compatible with iOS and Android
Cons: Android experience different from iOS; questionable long term forecast data
Native iOS and Android weather apps:
iOS: No air quality information available, even after visiting website for more information
Android: Basic air quality information available, but reliability is questionable