Apple revolutionizes weather app: severe weather warnings for travelers!

Apple revolutionizes weather app: severe weather warnings for travelers!

Reiseziel, Deutschland - Apple took the initiative on June 11, 2025 to increase the safety of its users. With the upcoming version of iOS, known as iOS 26, the weather app is expanded to include comprehensive severe weather warnings and customizable widgets for travel destinations. This is done within the goal of informing users in good time about potential weather races in their travel destinations. According to itopnews , these new functions should be implemented using "proactive intelligence" and the setting "significant places & routes", which enables the app based on relevant information to provide in the current location of the users.

By activating the location access, the weather app can warn of extreme weather conditions before the user arrives at the destination. In order to be able to use this new function, the users have to meet some prerequisites: the location access must be set to "Always", the function "Significant places & routes" is activated and the severe weather warnings are switched on in the weather settings. In addition, attention is paid to data protection by assigning information, similar to the Apple ID.

Integration in smart devices

With the introduction of iOS 26, the weather widgets are also visible on the Apple Watch. These appear in smart stacks and react based on predicted travel destinations. The suggestions for these widgets are also based on location, which further improves adaptability and user experience. In addition, the satellite-SOS service is supplemented by weather data so that severe weather warnings can be received even without mobile phone or WLAN.

Against the background of the changing climate and the increase in extreme weather events, the importance of warning apps is becoming increasingly relevant. Apps such as the Nina app, the official federal emergency information and news app of the federal government, send warnings about storms and other disaster situations. This application is available free of charge in the App Store and delivers notifications via push notification, but requires a data connection and GPS location access. The app's map view shows current warnings and is supported by the Federal Warning System (Mowas) and the German Weather Service (DWD), as explained.

versatile warning apps as a supplementary security solution

The Katwarn app, which was developed by public insurers in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute, also plays an important role. It transmits danger and disaster warnings, which are also available free of charge in the App Store. Users receive location-based reports via push notification and can even enter their whereabouts manually. Furthermore, the DWD offers warning apps on extreme weather conditions and supports users with a map view of the current warning position.

In addition, a new warning system, Cell Broadcast, was introduced, which has been working since February 23, 2023. This technology sends warnings directly via SMS to all mobile phone devices in a radio cell, which makes an internet connection superfluous. The advantage is that no personal data or telephone numbers have to be passed on, which means that the privacy of the user is preserved.