1 · Frequently asked
Why doesn't the Mac app open after I download it?
macOS Gatekeeper may block first launch on apps installed outside the App Store. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom, and click Open Anyway next to "MagicWeather was blocked." It will launch and won't ask again.
Why is my location wrong?
Magic Weather uses the OS-level Location service. Check that location is enabled for the app: iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Magic Weather, or on Mac: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services. You can also set a fixed location manually in the app's Settings → Change Location.
Some weather data looks wrong / different from another app.
Magic Weather can pull from several different forecast engines. Different providers can disagree, especially on rain probability and wind. Try switching providers in Settings → Weather Provider to see which one tracks your area best, or set Automatic (Fallback) to let the app try each in sequence.
Notifications aren't arriving.
Three things to check, in order:
- System notifications enabled: Settings → Notifications → Magic Weather → Allow Notifications.
- Inside the app: Notifications tab → Live Activity on, and the alert categories you want enabled.
- Monitored locations include the location you expect alerts for (Notifications → Monitored Locations).
The 3D Earth feels slow on my older device.
The Globe is real-time SceneKit. On older hardware, lower the rendering quality from Settings → Globe Quality. On Apple TV streaming, pick 720p or 1080p instead of 4K to drop GPU load.
Will Magic Weather drain my battery?
The Globe pauses rendering when the app is in the background and cuts to idle rotation (low GPU) when you're not interacting. Live Activity ticks once per minute. Realistically: a few percent per hour with the Globe in the foreground, near zero in the background.
How do I rearrange the detail cards?
Long-press any detail card and drag it onto another. They'll re-shuffle into the new order, which is saved per device. Wind always stays first.
Can I get the Mac app from the App Store?
The Mac app is currently distributed as a direct .dmg download (links on the home page). An App Store version is in evaluation.
Does Apple Watch work without the iPhone nearby?
Yes — on Apple Watch Series 4 and later, Magic Weather fetches its own data over Wi-Fi or cellular. The first sync after pairing happens via the iPhone.
How does the AI Summary work? Is my data sent anywhere?
The AI Summary uses Apple Intelligence on-device on iOS 26 and macOS 26. The model runs locally; weather text is processed on your device and never leaves it. Older OSes show a non-AI fallback summary built in-app.
2 · System requirements
- iPhone & iPad — iOS / iPadOS 17 or later. AI Summary requires iOS 26 + Apple Intelligence-capable device.
- Mac — macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. Universal binary; runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel.
- Apple Watch — watchOS 10 or later, Series 4 or newer recommended.
- Apple TV — tvOS 17 or later (streaming via AirPlay from iPhone / iPad).
3 · Data sources & privacy
Where the data comes from
- Forecast & current conditions — choose from five forecast engines in Settings, including Apple's native one
- Satellite base map — high-res tiles with a bundled offline fallback
- Weather overlays on the Globe — global cloud, precipitation, temperature, wind & pressure data
- Government alerts — official severe-weather feeds for the US and Europe
- Tropical cyclone tracking — public Atlantic & Pacific cyclone tracks
- Air quality (PM2.5) — global PM2.5 with the 6-step EPA scale
Full per-provider attribution is published in our Privacy Policy.
Privacy
Magic Weather has no account, no tracking, no analytics SDKs. Location is used only to fetch weather for that location and is never sent to a third party. AI summaries run on-device. Cached weather lives on your device and expires automatically (60 minutes for tiles, 30 days for base maps).
4 · Contact
The fastest way to reach the developer is by email. Replies usually come within 24–48 hours.
Email [email protected]
For feature requests, please mention which platform (iPhone / Mac / Watch / TV) and what you'd use it for — the more concrete, the better.
5 · Report a bug
Sorry it's misbehaving. The more we know, the faster it gets fixed.
Please include
- What you did — the steps to reproduce, ideally numbered.
- What you expected — and what actually happened.
- Device & OS — e.g. "iPhone 15 Pro · iOS 18.2" or "MacBook Air M2 · macOS 14.4".
- App version — found at the bottom of Settings.
- A screenshot or screen recording, if at all possible.
Opens your default mail app with subject and template prefilled — just fill in the blanks.
Reboot the device first. If it still crashes immediately on launch, attach the most recent crash report from Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements → Analytics Data (filename starts with "MagicWeather").
Mention the location and the time you saw it, plus which weather provider was active (Settings → Weather Provider) and which other app you compared with.
A screen recording showing the glitch beats a thousand words. Use Control Center → Screen Recording on iPhone or ⌘⇧5 on Mac.
First time here? Read the manual →