I've been using the UAV Forecast app since I got my Mini 2 eighteen months ago.

Although a bit ugly, I actually liked the simplicity of its interface with a nice and simple good or bad to fly indication.

The free version gave you a 24hr forecast and you could pay for longer.

But recently they changed the pricing model and the free version only allows a three hour (!) 'forecast'.

As Mr Robert Dylan said, you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

Now, I'm all for app developers making money for their efforts, and I had previously seriously considered upgrading to the non free version, but this move has put me right off. It just smacks of greed to me.

I'm now using Dronecast instead - nicer interface but the information doesn't seem quite as immediate.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for drone weather apps (please indicate if Android or iOS or both)

Ive been using the native iPhone weather app alot more recently as they now provide graphs of the wind of for the next day.       It's a shame what they did to UAV forecast.

DAFlys Posted at 5-3 01:02
Ive been using the native iPhone weather app alot more recently as they now provide graphs of the wind of for the next day.       It's a shame what they did to UAV forecast.

Ive used AccuWeather in the past for 'real' flying but have switched to "Weather & Radar" fir most forecasting these days.

They've added more detailed wind info recently, but it was the simplicity of UAV Forecast that I particularly liked. You could tell at a glance whether or not it was worth charging up a couple of batteries.

No Original Thought Posted at 5-3 01:14
Ive used AccuWeather in the past for 'real' flying but have switched to "Weather & Radar" fir most forecasting these days.

They've added more detailed wind info recently, but it was the simplicity of UAV Forecast that I particularly liked. You could tell at a glance whether or not it was worth charging up a couple of batteries.

I like it as it allowed me to set a height for the wind,  Ive not seen anything else that does that.

DAFlys Posted at 5-3 01:24
I like it as it allowed me to set a height for the wind,  Ive not seen anything else that does that.

True, wind altitude is only available with an upgrade in Dronecast

No Original Thought Posted at 5-3 03:00
True, wind altitude is only available with an upgrade in Dronecast

I found that out as Id installed it when you mentioned it,    shame as it doesn't look a bad app.   


I see the comments on the App Store for UAVforecast are blowing up.

DAFlys Posted at 5-3 23:39
I found that out as Id installed it when you mentioned it,    shame as it doesn't look a bad app.   

Same on Google Play. I suspect this is going to backfire on them as a lot of people seem to be uninstalling.

I tried installing an earlier version from before they reduced the forecast but they have blocked everything but the latest version, it would seem.

3hrs just isn't useful so it's now gone from my phone.

No Original Thought Posted at 5-4 00:06
Same on Google Play. I suspect this is going to backfire on them as a lot of people seem to be uninstalling.

I tried installing an earlier version from before they reduced the forecast but they have blocked everything but the latest version, it would seem.

To me 3hrs is not a forecast,  it's the current conditions.  

DAFlys Posted at 5-4 00:16
To me 3hrs is not a forecast,  it's the current conditions.

In fairness they do say that in the app subscription descriptions... The forecast part is the paid for part.

No Original Thought Posted at 5-4 00:44
In fairness they do say that in the app subscription descriptions... The forecast part is the paid for part.

Indeed.  I just installed it and then checked it.

I just use WeatherPro (android), paid for gives you 14 days and rain radar forecast for an hour 3 hours i so i think it is, its a good app, used it for years.
Then there are rain warning apps, you can have a widget showing rain for the next hour, it's a wee graph, and they alert you to rain. Also use Rain Alarm, thats good app.
I probably have about 4 or 5 rain warning apps (for their widgets), they include forecasts and radars too.

As for wind, i just go by the forecast and my own Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus (plus mods) weather station, if the forecast says over 25mph gusts, then the MIni 3 Pro stays home, its 30mph for the P4P.

FYI, i never use UAV, never have even though i think I have it installed lol

Also, for anyone near me, i also have widgets for my own station that they can use, live wind, rain etc...

I have  just looked at the UAV app now i have my phone at hand, whilst it has some useful parts, such as wind at height, thats not overly important as you can base than on forecast windspeeds, i.e. they are at 10m, across the board, no ifs or buts, so if the forecast speed is 25mph gusts, then its quite likely that its too windy at 120m. the UAV is not really that essential when a reasonable forecast app will suffice.

I have edited my last reply as the radar forecast for WeatherPro premium is 3 hours, not the 1 hour is 1st thought, you'd think i would know that, I use it most days lol

I will reiterate my recommendations and name the other apps i use so you can take a look, some will require premium for radar forecast (alerts) to work but they a quite cheap.

WeatherPro (decent widgets)
Met Office
Rain Alarm Pro
RainViewer (widget rain next hour and weather notifications)
Drops (widget rain next hour  and alerts)
Hyperlocal Weather (widget rain next hour) and weather notifications)
Weather Radar (main app includes lightning) only, i use the map as a widget
Windy, mostly for the radar map as a widget
YoWindow, I only use that one for my phone screen background, its a live wallpaper (airport, planes landing and taking off lol), it updates to my locations weather, windsock for windspeed, rain, snow etc
Some of the above widgets are actually smart widgets, whereas i have combined multiple widgets in one widget (android 12 onwards i think)
Whilst i am basing my reply on Android, some of these apps will apply to IOS but i don't even know if IOS has widgets lol
This is what my home screen looks like, 3 of those widgets are smart ones with multiple widgets, you just slide them to view the rest

Just heard of an alternative, not tried it, Airdata UAV

Airdata UAV seems fairly good,    and best of all you can have a free account

AirData UAV probably comes closest too the simplicity of UAV Forecast, and Dronecast had the same info in a slightly more convoluted but prettier format.

I use Weather & Radar for general weather, and also Windy, but for at a glance info I might start using AirData - I was only really using that for flight logs, forgetting the forecast/conditions functions in there.

I think I will give AirData UAV a try, it looks like a reasonable free alternative to UAV Forecast.

What got me is that in the Google Play Store reviews for UAV Forecast, were the developer's replies to people commenting on the 3 hour limit.

For example:
We understand your concerns. Our free current conditions and 3-hour forecast still offer valuable info for pilots. Charging a small fee helps support our business and allows us to continue donating service to tens of thousands of Ukraine military drone pilots. Ads would detract from user experience. For a free trial, create an account & contact us.



Sorry, but I think asking people to pay to support a war is completely and utterly disgusting.  I hope this backfires on UAV Forecast in a very big and bad way.

If I was inclined to pay somebody to support a war, it certainly wouldn't be an app developer.

neoborg Posted at 5-6 05:52
I think I will give AirData UAV a try, it looks like a reasonable free alternative to UAV Forecast.

What got me is that in the Google Play Store reviews for UAV Forecast, were the developer's replies to people commenting on the 3 hour limit.

Unfortunately this conflict is becoming a perfect excuse for many businesses.   

I don't know if it can help but I only use aeronautical weather forecasts.  They are usually free, and extremely accurate.  The negative point is that they are not user friendly at all and required a registration.

A note to everyone that has switched away from UAV Forecast ..

Please remember to uninstall the app from your device.

If you leave the app installed the. The developer will not see their install base decrease after this change in policy and will not realise just how many actual users they are losing.

Uninstalls are a scary metric for a developer, so let's send that message.

No Original Thought Posted at 5-4 00:06
Same on Google Play. I suspect this is going to backfire on them as a lot of people seem to be uninstalling.

I tried installing an earlier version from before they reduced the forecast but they have blocked everything but the latest version, it would seem.

I agree
They have been 'pleasing us' for a long time, building up a decent userbase and now they think there are enough users they put this ridiculous 3 hour limit and hope to cash in
I also noticed they simply blocked older versions.
This is exactly why users go searching for mods ... unfortunately I found no working mod ... so far ;-)Meanwhile, DRONECAST looks as an acceptable alternative (thanks to the poster who spoke about this app above here)

droneweather looks like a solid copy of uav

Spend the couple of dollars and keep the app you like. I love UAV forecast for it's simplicity and ease of use. It's pretty accurate too. The $2 they're asking for won't make them rich, but it will keep them allive to service your needs. We spend allot on our drones. A couple of bucks more to make sure it doesn't rain on your drone or blow it out of the sky is worth it.

No Original Thought Posted at 5-19 02:36
A note to everyone that has switched away from UAV Forecast ..

Please remember to uninstall the app from your device.

If they lose business when it's free they are only losing charity cases

I have the National Weather Service site if I need more than three hours ahead forecast. UAV is STILL great. I also use Airdata.

Windy app (theres a premium version for longer than a week), in the windy app you can set the altitude to default 2m (ground) or the next step is 100m, thats useful from use "pilots", it is quite an in-depth app, true, but it is very handy if just for that feature, BTW, i would turn off particles, thats where the things move onscreen such as wind, and they have a forecast compare option, thats handy to compare to see if they all align, or just the GFS (world) against the ECMWF (European) as the latter can be more accurate for close range) if you want to try it out and struggling to find the options I've mentioned, reply to this reply and i will point you in the right place

Failing that, WeatherPro is a good app and worth paying the extra for the premium, you can have a longer forecast (14 days i think it is)  and radar forecast (1 hr i think), the latter is well worth the premium, for me anyway.
I use at least 27 weather apps for their various abilities, some just for their widgets as i like the widgets that show 1hr rain forecast (at least 4 of those) in a nice horizontal image, many of the apps i only use for the rain alarms, and Rain Alarm Pro is a good one.

I never use the UAV forecast, never felt the need even though i have it installed, I use the other forecasts mostly WeatherPro and the Met Office, and I work on a rule of thumb, if its gusting to 25mph at 10m (99% of all forecasts are at 10m) i wont fly the Mini 3 Pro unless there is a specific need but i would play it by ear and i will know to keep an eye on things and to keep it low if needed.

hi if your uk based try airdata.com

djiuser_3d1VKATRqG2C Posted at 9-13 07:40
droneweather looks like a solid copy of uav[Image]

That's a good find... that's the kind of simple.presentation that made UAV Forecast a winner for me.

I'm also usingbAirData now as well, but this looks like the perfect replacement.

BetterBizTech Posted at 9-13 16:29
If they lose business when it's free they are only losing charity cases

Sorry to disagree, but as an app developer myself I offer all of my apps for free and only one has a pro upgrade option.

That one with a Pro upgrade option only has that paid option because that app allows people to make money, so heavy users are likely to making good money from use of my app so a token payment for the extra features only seems fair.

My other apps are entirely free but I still feel disappointment when I see the app being uninstalled by users as I aim to make my apps as useful as possible. Uninstalls and bad reviews don't feel good - and that is for entirely free apps.

Even free apps take a lot of time to maintain, but I'm old school internet and fully believe in the open sharing of stuff for free - hence my apps (and websites) being free.

BetterBizTech Posted at 9-13 16:25
Spend the couple of dollars and keep the app you like. I love UAV forecast for it's simplicity and ease of use. It's pretty accurate too. The $2 they're asking for won't make them rich, but it will keep them allive to service your needs. We spend allot on our drones. A couple of bucks more to make sure it doesn't rain on your drone or blow it out of the sky is worth it.

£27 (about $30+ dollars) for a year is hardly a couple of dollars!

I'm quite happy to pay a token payment to developers for personal use of an app, but that annual subscription is nothing less than trying it on.

Drone Weather looks like it has the same simple 'at a glance' presentation, so that will be my go to for a quick view of the next couple of days to see if it's wortybcharging batteries or not.

No Original Thought Posted at 9-14 05:53
£27 (about $30+ dollars) for a year is hardly a couple of dollars!

I'm quite happy to pay a token payment to developers for personal use of an app, but that annual subscription is nothing less than trying it on.

$2.50 per month. Hardly a King's ransom. I paid it.

No Original Thought Posted at 9-14 05:48
Sorry to disagree, but as an app developer myself I offer all of my apps for free and only one has a pro upgrade option.

That one with a Pro upgrade option only has that paid option because that app allows people to make money, so heavy users are likely to making good money from use of my app so a token payment for the extra features only seems fair.

I feel like you get the free option. Unfortunately its only a 3 hour window. It should have been 24 or 48 hours. I need the week.

BetterBizTech Posted at 9-14 07:18
I feel like you get the free option. Unfortunately its only a 3 hour window. It should have been 24 or 48 hours. I need the week.

Try the National Weather Service site, it's far better than any app.

DAFlys Posted at 5-5 00:21
Airdata UAV seems fairly good,    and best of all you can have a free account

[view_image]

DAFlys, I have this installed but the wind speeds are not accurate in my location. I might send them an e-mail asking if they can check where the wind speed information is coming from as it is not close. I have had days UAV Forecast showed 25 MPH wind at surface and Airdata UAV showed 10 MPH good to fly.
It was a very windy day!

videoeditman Posted at 9-14 10:11
DAFlys, I have this installed but the wind speeds are not accurate in my location. I might send them an e-mail asking if they can check where the wind speed information is coming from as it is not close. I have had days UAV Forecast showed 25 MPH wind at surface and Airdata UAV showed 10 MPH good to fly.
It was a very windy day!

Interesting to you mention that,  Ive seen the same thing with it.  

BetterBizTech Posted at 9-14 07:18
I feel like you get the free option. Unfortunately its only a 3 hour window. It should have been 24 or 48 hours. I need the week.

The free option used to be 24hrs, and that seemed fair.

3hrs is of no use. If I see it's good to fly in 3hrs that's not enough time to get a couple of batteries charged, even, never mind get to where you want to fly.

Personally I felt 24hrs free and paid for beyond that was fair, but cutting the free time to 3hrs - which is what prompted my original post - just makes the app useless in its free version.

Thankfully Drone Weather had picked up the baton.

BetterBizTech Posted at 9-14 07:16
$2.50 per month. Hardly a King's ransom. I paid it.

If it works for you....

Personally I'm not prepared to pay that each month, and it seems I'm not alone judging by the reviews.

As I've said, I believe in helping and sharing information in the old spirit of the internet. At these prices it feels like profiteering, and I don't want to support that.

No Original Thought Posted at 9-15 06:31
If it works for you....

Personally I'm not prepared to pay that each month, and it seems I'm not alone judging by the reviews.

I understand how you feel but they are running a business We all get paid for what we do so I choose to pay if I like the app. If I wasn't tied to drone log book I would have switched to Airdata.

No Original Thought Posted at 9-15 06:26
The free option used to be 24hrs, and that seemed fair.

3hrs is of no use. If I see it's good to fly in 3hrs that's not enough time to get a couple of batteries charged, even, never mind get to where you want to fly.

I felt the 24 hours was good enough for hobbyists. I need to go out a week in advance so it made sense.I think it was a little greedy for them to go to 3 hours.

No Original Thought Posted at 9-15 06:26
The free option used to be 24hrs, and that seemed fair.

3hrs is of no use. If I see it's good to fly in 3hrs that's not enough time to get a couple of batteries charged, even, never mind get to where you want to fly.

Where do they get their data from, perhaps they have had to start paying a hefty premium for it, if thats the case then they have to pass that along, but i would have stopped using it too, thats a lot of money for an app, even windy is only £15 a year i think, the problem there is, its yearly, i much prefer a monthly premiums, so i will not pay for the extra week forecast with windy. I have 6 subs already, 4 are weather apps, and the total is 6.79 a month, i think thats a lot considering and i do not want to add any more to that wastage.

Bashy Posted at 9-15 18:47
Where do they get their data from, perhaps they have had to start paying a hefty premium for it, if thats the case then they have to pass that along, but i would have stopped using it too, thats a lot of money for an app, even windy is only £15 a year i think, the problem there is, its yearly, i much prefer a monthly premiums, so i will not pay for the extra week forecast with windy. I have 6 subs already, 4 are weather apps, and the total is 6.79 a month, i think thats a lot considering and i do not want to add any more to that wastage.

I also wondered if it was due to charges from their data source, but they haven't mentioned that in any of the review responses that I've seen.

And if that is the case, then I would have thought that they've gone about things the wrong way. They'd be far more likely to get a high volume of low subscriptions which would cover the costs, rather than pitch at a high price and hope the few subscriptions they get will cover it.

In a.market where free access to 8nformation is so common it's a risky strategy to price high.

If it was me, ifld have at least canvassed users for their opinion on what they would be prepared to pay, that way you don't disenfranchise 90% of your user base by disemboweling a service and slapping a high price tag on it without warning.

No Original Thought Posted at 9-15 23:42
I also wondered if it was due to charges from their data source, but they haven't mentioned that in any of the review responses that I've seen.

And if that is the case, then I would have thought that they've gone about things the wrong way. They'd be far more likely to get a high volume of low subscriptions which would cover the costs, rather than pitch at a high price and hope the few subscriptions they get will cover it.

UAV is or was quite unique, therefore they could charge X amount and folks didn't have much choice in it, like it or lump it were the 2 options.

You don't need it anyway, as i say, just base it on the normal local forecasts, if the 10m winds are at gusting at 20mph, then at 100m your gonna be pretty much on the limit for a Mini drone. With UAV its only good for the wee summary anyway, Fly or No Fly, but as its all there in a normal forecast app so, ya don't need it, the only thing missing is the KP and ya deffo don't need that.