This app is a good start, but it is not providing the full picture.... thus creating a false sense of security. PM 10 and PM 2.5 particulate matter is shown, as is ozone. But there are no measurements for NO2 or VOC. The app may show great air quality, showing low particulate matter - but what about NO2? I give it three stars for usability and the simple UI. But no stars for the information provided because giving a report of good.... when the NO2 levels are high is wrong.
Yet another update: This app does NOT give real-time, there are articles online that explain why. It's not a bad app, but I guess it does the job of presenting epa's official aqi? SERIOUS UPDATE: TO ANYONE IN CALIFORNIA READING THIS, USING PURPLE AIR (browser) INSTEAD OF THIS APP. The visibility in my hometown has suddenly gotten a lot worse (in the past half hour, we have gone from 150 aqi to 500!!), but this app says we are still at 128 aqi!!) This app just does not update quickly enough!! DO NOT RELY ON THIS APP UNTIL THEY FIX IT. IMPORTANT UPDATE: The aqi on the app seems to be straight up wrong. It does accurately show the aqi listed on the official website, but I can't tell if the sensors are straight up wrong or if the data is slow-updating. For instance, last night in my area the aqi finally dropped to around 50's. Visibly the smoke had disappeared and the smell of wildfire smoke gone. Today (this morning) visibly the smoke is back and the smell is stronger than ever. This app (and its website) says that the current air quality is still only 50's aqi?! I cross-referenced with some Purple air sensors (aka community provided sensors), and the sensors near my house seem to be reporting a way-more accurate aqi of 150+. What is going on?! Can I trust this app?! Original: Great app that shows the aqi of any chosen city. I think it would be even better if it added the interactive map (that's already available on AirNow's website)!
This app is convenient because it’s there and easy to open. However, there are several faults that make it not the best way to obtain an AQI measurement. First of all, it’s data is not updated often enough. It lags way behind current readings - at least by several hours if not more. Secondly, AirNow doesn’t have a broad enough network of sensors. AQI often depends on land contours and detailed location within a community. This app just doesn’t have enough resolution to provide helpful health information for people in many locations. AND I just found that the latest version of the app crashes when attempting to query ‘Details’ about the reading at my home location. Interestingly, it doesn’t crash when clicking details at other locations.
This is what it looks like when the government works!
Easy to use app that provides you (potentially) life saving information. Too often, government apps are a cluttered mess of information that is difficult to comprehend and use quickly. This app, on the other hand, perfectly displays what you need yo know an the opening screen, and allows you to easily get additional (location based) information if you want it. More agencies need to model this app for how to get information to the public.
I really like this app and in general it is easy to use. It took me awhile, though, to figure out how to delete a location from the “places” list. To delete a location, tap “Places” at the bottom right of the home screen. The next screen will be a list of places and an option to add a new place at the bottom of the list. Tapping the settings icon at the top of the “Places” screen will give you the option to delete places from the list.
This app is so inaccurate and misleading, it’s hard to understand how EPA could get it SO wrong. As I attempt to breathe in a particle- filled haze of smokey Sierra Nevada air during this California fire season, Air Now consistently says all is just fine with a little smiley face and green color coding signifying healthy air. Meanwhile every other app, such a Purple Air and IQAir, are accurately telling me the air is hazardous. As an environmental scientist myself I wonder what data and algorithms EPA could possibly be using to be so wrong and about something this important to public health. Don’t bother with this app - try the others listed above if you want evidence based information on air quality.
Of all the pollution tracking apps, it’s embarrassing that the official US app is the worst. Although under this current administration of deniers and enablers, I can see why it is so. So why is it terrible? It only tracks and identifies PM2.5 and O3 in the atmosphere. That’s one of many dangerous and cancer causing agents in the air. It doesn’t track PM10- pollution that’s visible. So right now the sky from fires is orange and gray and hailing down ashes and the EPA AirNow app has a GREEN 34. A joke! It also doesn’t identify NO2- nitrous diOxide from the bringing of fossil fuels like coal,oil, gas, and diesel. Which currently is 110- a very harmful level. So in short- if you actually care about your health, that of your family and friends, don’t use this app OR BETTER YET, demand that they update to include all the really harmful elements. For us, the best monitor we’ve found so far is PLUME LABS followed by Air Matters and Air Visual- which are only slightly better than the EPA app.
My eight-year-old daughter loves checking the air quality every morning! We even have added the cities where all our relatives live (including my brother in Los Angeles), and she enjoys letting her grandparents know when they should stay inside. She also tracked how LA went from purple before quarantine to yellow during lockdown to back to unhealthy during wildfire season…
This app is helpful for checking air quality. The only problem is, at least for Minnesota, is that the narrated description of the forecast included from MPCA doesn’t include the date it was written. It gets confusing to figure out what day is “today” and “tomorrow” in the forecast. (It’s not updated every day, so “today” sometimes is 2 or 3 days ago.) other than that, it’s a helpful app.
I found the app to be clear and easy to use. There are many sensors in the field of varying quality so yes there are different numbers as another reviewer has noted.. The app descriptions are clear that local conditions can also vary in signficant ways. It pullls together an excellent overall picture of the current Canadian fire smoke problems of late June 2023.
I feel like something of this importance would be much more informative than this.. maybe add the ability to SHARE the days numbers? Or EXPLAIN what ground level ozone is? Maybe add a local or searchable and customizable timeline? Data tools? Links? More info...please.... hey you know what else would be rad??? If you guys loaned out air quality sensors across the country (at least) so we could fill in some blanks, get some accurate data logged in case there’s a future that is in the position to have interest in the atmosphere of today... assuming all goes well enough, somehow, ooh
I definitely recommend this if you often check websites for information. It’s much faster to get information and I have checked with other sites to make sure it is accurate and so far it is. I am confident in this app and I really appreciate the forecast and summary of the week they give. It really gives me a peace of mind.
Downloaded the app to get current air quality readings in my area which the app does well. It’s fairly current data provided by my local agency with about 1 hour lag time. However, I also wanted the app so I could see the air quality MAP like on the website— no such luck. Adding the map feature would make this app much more useful and effective. Please consider for next round of updates.
I live close to a huge fire in Northern California. Last evening the sky was cloudy. This morning it seems almost like night — very dark orange sky. Very smokey. Ash falling like rain. But the app says that the air quality is 114. It has had this reading for 12 hours. The air quality has to be well in the 200’s. So, when is this app actually updated? It is not providing accurate information now, nor has it for the last 12 hours. Well, my eyes and nose are surely giving me an accurate air quality index.
I downloaded this application with the hopes of getting close to accurate air quality readings because due to the fires in Northern California the air quality is hazardous. In Fernley, Nevada it says the air quality is (36) good but the AQI here is well over 500. The smoke is penetrating the house and extremely foggy outside, air difficult to breathe, yet the EPA has determined that the air quality here is good?! It’s extremely difficult to believe that this air constitutes as good. This app needs constant accurate updating.
Would be 5 stars if it had worldwide coverage. If you only care about locations in the US this is the best app I’ve tried. All air quality apps only update once per hour. This one tends to update about 15 minutes after the hour, but afaik based on this app and others, updates are sensor dependent.
The government should put more money into this program to improve it! If more sensors were deployed, if the sensors could be read every 30 minutes (versus hourly) , and if the app could add the trends that are listed in the website version, that would be a significant improvement!
I recently became very sensitive to poor air quality and can’t find any apps that will push a real time alert to my phone when the AQI gets unhealthy. I wish this app had that feature. My respiratory problem is new and I often forget to look up the AQI before going out.
This application provides significantly different results depending upon what screen you are viewing. This inconsistency renders this application useless for providing trusted, actionable data. For example, when I view the home screen for my area, I am told the AQI is 87, which is "moderate." However, when viewing the map, my area is shown to reside in a band with an AQI between 201 and 300, which is "very unhealthy." Consequently, I am left questioning the very thing that this app is supposed to provide; the safety of my environment.
With the new map feature you can select options to see permanent air quality monitors and wildfires along with terrain for the most up to date information I’ve found from other apps/websites.
This app does not meet my minimum usability needs due to the following: - Users must discover for themselves which locations exist for displaying the AQI. I.e. no map is available and the location search box allows a user to believe all cities are available for display until after a city is selected, only to find out after a drawn out process no information is available for the desired city. - Removing a Place is extremely awkward.
I’ve referred to this app a lot with the wildfire smoke blowing over my region this summer, and for quite a while, I used the map in it as well. Now, the map is worthless. It just loads, and the regional air quality (with the blobs of color) hasn’t changed in months. The air rating on the “home page“ of the app seems accurate, but I wonder when other parts seem frozen.
I have been using this app for several years now, especially during FIRE SEASON on the west coast. Now it will save/display multiple locations on the same page. Huge improvement!! Please make the app capable of rotating on the ipad, iphone view only is not an improvement, hence 4 stars. I appreciate the graphics though.
The app provides 1/10 of information provided by the original website website which I started using in 2012 which had way more useful clear information and facts. Even the new website is just as awful. The new website crashes with just about every use. I’m not sure if the government cut so much funding to the EPA that a decent app isn’t tangible but I have seen the past versions of AirNow and I will tell you that it absolutely outdoes what they offer now times a 100.
The visual presentation is super: you immediately see the air quality and what the health ranges are. I used the website in past years and it had the same information, but not as well presented. The current websis like this app, but the app is easier to use.
The app should be called Air 3 hours later not AirNow…because there is a huge time delay with the reporting. Due to health conditions, it’s extremely important to know what the current air quality is. We recently had smoke move over our area that was over 900 even though the app said the air quality was still good. I now only use the app to look at the smoke map to try to guess what current conditions are.
Not very much information given and sometimes it flat out gives “not available” especially right when the air quality makes a huge shift. making it impossible to keep up with current air quality levels at the most critical times.
Update rate isn’t quite as fast as I would like, but once an hour is usually enough. My only complaint point is they include stations that provide incomplete measurements. We have one station that reports “green” because they’re only measuring ozone.
It would be helpful to know how often this app updates air quality given some reviews that says it is not accurate data??? Any developers that are willing to clarify? Otherwise aesthetically it’s a nice looking app. I would like an edit feature for the places tab to be able to organize and move the order of the cities I follow.
Gives a snapshot reading of something in the past, not the current air quality
The single redeeming quality of this good idea/poor implementation app is if you look hard enough, you can find a link to a website that provides current air quality readings. You are unlikely to find current air quality directly on this app.
I chose this app after trying the two air quality apps with the highest star ratings. This app was the easiest to use, and I like that I don’t need to create an account to use it. I have been recommending it to friends and family.
Ok so that school today, my science teacher told us that there was an air quality website so I checked it out and it showed the air quality and so I used the website for the rest of the day and it worked well but when I checked the app version of the website, it was the opposite of well, it was inaccurate and slow data updates which is not good.
There are no air monitoring stations in my area, so it doesn’t give a reading. I’m in an area most affected by Canadian wildfire, being in the border, yet they don’t care enough to have a monitor here? You can’t spend a little less on proxy wars and military contractors and get a monitor for my area? I feel frustrated and disempowered by the terrible air quality and lack of anyone giving a crap.
This looks like a good choice to have as the fires are all around us. But the app doesn’t even begin to come close to a simple air quality index I also use. Looking outside right now, you can’t see farther than a couple of miles. It says our air is at 33. That’s like perfect air. The real numbers are in the hazardous range. Not sure what is wrong….
Use this app all the time. One big feature that is missing is the inability to reorder the locations I look at. I can “edit” locations but the only thing you can do is delete a location. What would be nice is to be able to reorder locations.
I’m pleased to see my tax dollars put to such good use. There is a lot of useful information here and more all the time. Please continue to develop this app. We need it more than ever.
AirNow should be renamed "Air An Hour or Two Ago" ! If it isn't possible to provide actual, real time data then at least PUT THE TIME OF THE AQI READING RIGHT BELOW AQI, RIGHT ON THE MAIN SCREEN. Otherwise you mislead everyone who doesn't bother to tap "Details" (every single time) to see whether the reading is from an hour ago or whatever. Specific location too please!
Just downloaded this app to try and monitor multiple locations in one convenient app. However, the default setting is PM10 which is great and all. However for OSHA purposes it would be nice to be able to change the readings to display the PM2.5 levels.
The latest update really changed this app around. It looks amazing and works incredibly well now. The new forecast function will definitely be useful come this next fire season.
The website shows a monitor reading from a station in my home town but the app uses a reading from a station located in another town that is 10 miles away making the app not accurate for me. Why can’t you make the app as accurate as the website and use all the available stations?
I would love to get a notification when air quality in my area exceeds thresholds that I set (or returns to healthy level). I would also like to see the area map like you can on the website.
Simple functionality: it shows you your current AQI and AQI forecast for locations of interest. That’s it. If this app also could also display the associated AQI map like they do on the website, I would give this five stars.
I will start with that I actually like this app design wise but I have tested the app across four devices and two of them are showing drastically different AQI levels for the same locations. For now, I am sticking with the website until this issue is resolved.
It’s good if you want to go back-and-forth between different places quickly, but I didn’t see the map that they have on their website. The map was the most valuable and interesting part to me, so I’m going to stick with the website and delete this app.
Tried out both apps during recent CA wildfires in SF Bay Area. AirNow was solid EPA data that was consistent with changes in smoke levels due to winds. AirVisual by comparison was often wildly off by orders of magnitude. AirNow is the keeper and I deleted AirVisual.
Unfortunately, Puerto Rico has been left out again from something that could be so helpful for people who suffer from asthma. Considering that PR is part of the US and also a lot of people are affected by several factors such as air contamination from our energy supply but also the Sahara Desert Dust (look it up) I believe we should be included in this service. EPA get your $H!+ together!
I need to monitor this for my job and it’s really annoying looking every hour to see if there’s a change. You should be able to setup push notifications for your places when the PM 2.5 reaches 151 and when it’s all clear. If it’s required to know for cal-osha then it should be easy to find out.
EPA's AirNow mobile app provides a simple interface for quickly checking current and forecast air quality information for planning daily activities and protecting your health. The app automatically displays the current AQI (Air Quality Index) for your local area or any area you wish to check, and allows you to store multiple areas for quick reference.
