The Google weather app icon has disappeared from Pixel devices

What’s the story

In December, Google began rolling out a dedicated “Weather” icon in the app grid for Pixel phones and tablets.

This shortcut, introduced via a server-side update, was mainly available on most Pixel devices.

The icon, a simplified representation of the sun and cloud, mirrored the “Add to Home Screen” shortcut but lacked the Google app icon badge in the corner.

However, recently users noticed that this weather shortcut disappeared from their app grid.

Replacing weather icons and user expectations

For those who previously placed the Weather icon on their home screen, it has been replaced with the Google app.

They see this change as a failure for users who had hoped that Google Weather would become a standalone tool, independent of the search engine.

A standalone app could potentially provide faster updates and more features, including additional home screen widgets.

Google Weather Service and Its Redesign in 2023

In 2023, Google carried out a comprehensive rebuild of its weather app.

In addition to Material You, real-time 12-hour rainfall forecasts called “Nowacasts” have been launched, based on the MetNet-3 deep learning model.

Additionally, Google introduced the “Weather” service on Pixel devices, which showed forecasts in the Clock application.

The service was part of the company’s efforts to improve user experience with more detailed and accurate weather updates.