Aurora Watch (UK) Downloads & RevenueAurora Watch (UK) · Google Play
Aurora Watch (UK) is #38 in Weather Free on Google Play in United Kingdom and charting in 1 of 23 countries we track.
Updated 9 Nov 2026 · rankings refresh through the day
Full timeline · 7 events
- 📦Aurora Watch (UK) updated to version 2.16Amend "University of Lancaster" to "Lancaster University"
- 📈Aurora Watch (UK) entered the top 100Top Free · Weather · AE
- 📈Aurora Watch (UK) hit #1Top Free · Weather · GB
- 📈Aurora Watch (UK) charting in a new countryUnited Arab Emirates
- 🆕Aurora Watch (UK) first spotted by AppInsiderUnited Kingdom
- 📦Aurora Watch (UK) version 2.15Try to fix crashes causes by Google bug in androidx.activity on some devices (particularly Huawei).
Obfuscate code as mandated by Google - 🆕Aurora Watch (UK) released on Google Play
Collected from the stores by AppInsider since we first spotted the app. Dates are when we saw each change.
Weather FreeAurora Watch (UK) at a glance
AI summary written from our chart and store data, 2026-10-15. It can be wrong: check the numbers above.
A free utility app that monitors geomagnetic activity to alert users in the UK when aurora borealis visibility is likely, based on data from Lancaster University. The app currently holds the #1 position in the Weather category for Great Britain and ranks #127 in the same category for the United Arab Emirates.
Similar apps: MyRadar, AccuWeather, Windy
Aurora Watch (UK) on Google Play
App details
Tech stack
Trackers and permissions of build v2.10, from the εxodus privacy report (CC BY-SA).
Aurora Watch (UK) downloads
Worldwide, per day, and installs to date. The band is open; the exact number is free with an account.
How this is calculated
Where Aurora Watch (UK)'s downloads come from Modelled
Last 30 days: organic search, browsing the store, features and paid ads.
Active users
All platforms, worldwide. Free with an account.
How this is calculated
Where it ranks on Google Play
Every top 200 chart it appears in across 23 countries.
| Country | Charts | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | WeatherFree | #38 |
Apps near Aurora Watch (UK) on the chart
Weather Free, around #38.
Ratings
Google Play, worldwide.
What users say about Aurora Watch (UK)
From the 60 most recent Google Play reviews in the US.
Users appreciate the app's potential for catching auroras and responsive developer support, but many report critical failures in notification reliability and accuracy. The core utility is undermined by alerts that are delayed, missing, or triggered during daylight hours.
Mixed but leaning positive (62% of recent reviews give 4–5 stars). People like it for being useful, and privacy. The main complaints are about recent updates.
What people like
- Useful: “Very useful for aurora alerts”
- Privacy & data: “Does not need annoying permissions”
- Updates: “User defined updates would be a huge bonus!”
- Ease of use: “Good app, easy to use :-)”
Common complaints
- Updates: “Opened the app and after 30 seconds it updated”
About Aurora Watch (UK)
Get alerts about increases in geomagnetic activity - triggered when the AuroraWatch status level changes; this indicates the relative likelihood of viewing an aurora in the UK.
See the current alert status - see Notes.
Read last 24 hours recent history.
30 minute forecast model from SWPC.
Please email [email protected] with any issues.
PLEASE NOTE:
Aurora Watch is NOT a forecasting app.
Phone settings such as Battery Saver which limit the phone getting push notifications will narrow or even close the aurora alert window.
If you are not receiving alerts check your phone's Settings/Notifications/App settings to see that Notifications for Aurora Watch UK are not turned off.
The app does not alert historically. If your phone is off or unable to connect to the internet when the status goes up but the level goes back down before the next data update you will receive no alert.
There is a necessary delay before alerts are sent since the data needs to 'settle down' as recommended by Lancaster University.
The alerts provided by Lancaster University tend to default to their Lancaster magnetometer for alerting though they do have others; most importantly one in Shetland. Naturally there is a greater chance of seeing an Aurora in Shetland but since that data is not (usually) used alerts are a little more 'pessimistic'. This is appropriate for those of us living in England but less so for those further north.
The Aurora Watch UK (Android) app is developed and maintained by Smallbouldering Projects, it is not an 'Official' app.
Alerts data is provided by Lancaster University, UK using data from the SAMNET and/or AuroraWatchNet magnetometer networks: Read more about this here:
http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/introduction