Getting over the Google weather API
The Google Weather API can be considered as somewhat of an API that never really happened. Officially, at least, Google never launched the API, and instructed devs that discovered it to use it only for hobbyist coding projects. Yet despite this coders flocked to it and over the course of its run it gained serious ground in API popularity. So here we discuss the story of the Google Weather API and go beyond this now defunct service to explain how the world of app developers can cope without the API that really never was.
A quick over of the Google Weather API
The Google Weather API is very often referred to as a secret API (or at least it was, until Google pulled the service in the summer of 2013). This is down to the fact that the API was never officially launched, or announced, and neither was its removal. In fact, practically the only statement that Google did give about the service was found within a message board post by a Google rep, where they stated that the API would be for gadget use exclusively. The API reaped serious attention however, with many coders loving the simplistic service, streamlined results and JSON format. And all was well and reliable with the service until August of 2013 – when users began to notice that their data became patchy, with it stopping streaming all together before the summer was over.
The APIXU API: An answer to overcoming the loss of the Google API
Thankfully here at APIXU we’ve been serving up a seriously solid alternative to the Google Weather API, and what’s more our feature rich API begins with a free, entry level service, which remains free until as, when and if the user’s needs demand it.
The Google Weather API is long since gone, and whilst some developers may mourn the quirkiness that made this offering rather unique, at APIXU we like to think ahead and way into the future with features that far surpass even those of the similarly advanced APIs in our realm. Head on over to our API features page now and read for yourself just how we’re shaking up the industry with extensive features for even the most demanding of coders.
