Apple Weather is already on your iPhone and costs nothing. In iOS 27 its forecast gained a Wind view with hourly gust speeds and 10-day wind ranges. For a quick look at whether today is breezy, that's often enough. Altiwind is for the next step: wind and estimated gusts at 30–120 m, a verdict against your drone's limits, and a forecast checked against the nearest airport's METAR.
What iOS 27 changed
According to 9to5Mac (16 September 2026), the forecast area on the Weather home page now has three views: Conditions, Precipitation and Wind. Tap the wind icon and both the hourly and the 10-day forecast switch to wind. You then see gust speeds for each hour and the expected wind range for each day. iGeeksBlog also describes gust charts and an interactive wind map. Apple's data sources page says the 10-day forecast and the wind maps are provided by Apple Weather unless otherwise specified.
Side by side
Checked October 2026.
| Altiwind | Apple Weather | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free, built in |
| Free tier | Today plus the next 24 hours, 1 spot, 1 drone, go/no-go, Kp now, verified badge | Everything; there's no paid tier |
| Platforms | Web app on any phone, installable on the home screen; native iPhone app planned | Apple devices only (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch) |
| Wind at flight altitude | 30, 60, 90 and 120 m (100–400 ft) | Not stated |
| Gusts | Estimated gusts at each height | Hourly gust speeds in the iOS 27 Wind view |
| Kp / GPS | Kp now, weighted by latitude | Not stated |
| Go/no-go per drone | Yes, from your drone's wind limit, with a reason for each check | Not stated |
| Forecast checked against METAR | Yes, nearest airport within 25 km | Not stated |
| Airspace | Not yet; informational overlays planned | Not stated |
| Account required | No | No separate sign-up |
Where Apple Weather is better
- It's already there. There's nothing to install or bookmark, and it has Home Screen widgets.
- A longer outlook for free. The 10-day forecast, now with a wind range for each day, is free. Altiwind covers today plus the next 24 hours.
- Maps. Apple Weather has a wind map alongside precipitation, temperature and air-quality maps, according to Apple's Weather map guide.
- Rain in the next hour. In Australia, Ireland, Japan, the UK and the US, Apple's next-hour precipitation forecasts and alerts use national weather service data. That's handy when showers are close.
- Severe weather alerts. These come from national weather services in many countries.
Where Altiwind is different
- Wind where the drone is. Apple doesn't say at what height its wind figures apply. Weather services normally report surface wind at 10 m above ground. Wind usually picks up with height. Take 15 km/h (9 mph) at 10 m: over open land by day that's about 21 km/h (13 mph) at 120 m, and on a stable night about 28 km/h (17 mph). Altiwind gives wind at 30, 60, 90 and 120 m, interpolating between the model levels at 10, 80, 120 and 180 m.
- Gusts at height. Altiwind adds the surface gust excess (gust minus mean wind) to the wind at your height, and never estimates less than 1.2× that wind. For example, take a mean wind of 18 km/h gusting 30 km/h at the surface, and 25 km/h of wind at 120 m. That gives an estimated gust of about 37 km/h (23 mph) up there. See gust forecast and gusts vs sustained wind.
- A verdict for your drone. The go/no-go score checks sustained wind, estimated gusts, rain, temperature, visibility, Kp and daylight against your drone profile. Each check shows as a reason chip, and the worst one decides the colour. Civil twilight counts as marginal. See twilight and night flying.
- A forecast that gets checked. The verified forecast compares the last 6–24 hours of wind and gusts at the nearest METAR station with 2–3 models. It then picks the model with the smallest error and shows the bias, e.g. "Checked vs EGLL 40 min ago: running 3 km/h high".
- Kp for GPS. Kp is adjusted for your geomagnetic latitude and shown as "GPS: normal" or "GPS: may be degraded". See Kp index for drones.
- Android too. Altiwind runs in any phone browser, so a mixed iPhone and Android group can all use it.
FAQ
Is Apple Weather good enough for flying a drone?
For a first look at the day, often yes, especially now that iOS 27 shows hourly gusts. It doesn't give wind at flight height or compare the forecast with your drone's limits. That's what Altiwind adds.
Does Apple Weather show wind at altitude?
Not that Apple states (checked October 2026). Neither Apple's documentation nor the iOS 27 coverage mentions wind above the surface. Altiwind shows 30, 60, 90 and 120 m.
Does Apple Weather show the Kp index?
We found no mention of it in Apple's documentation or the iOS 27 coverage. Altiwind shows Kp now for free.
Can I use Altiwind next to Apple Weather?
Yes. Check Apple Weather for the day and Altiwind for your spot and drone. Altiwind is weather guidance only and not for air navigation, so check your local rules.