14 DAY TRIAL // The air quality index, also known as AQI, has become an indicator that many of us keep an eye on for a very simple reason: the level of pollution in urban environment has reached a point where it can very well be harmful, and unfortunately, little can be changed in the short term.
But on the other hand, the tech world comes to the rescue with more straightforward means to get information on the air quality, sometimes with just a few taps.
If you’ve been part of the Apple ecosystem, there’s a chance you didn’t know the Weather app that comes pre-loaded with your iPhone also offers AQI data for some locations. And it’s because Apple has until now offered this feature exclusively in a handful of regions, such as the United States.
But the good news is that the company is now working on bringing this AQI indicator to more users in non-U.S. locations as well, and the first steps in this regard have reportedly been made in the recently released iOS 14.7 beta.
AQI expanding to non-U.S. locations
In other words, more users are now getting air quality information in the Weather app on their iPhones, including in Canada, Spain, Italy, France, and the Netherlands.
Worth knowing is that all these users are also getting to see the AQI in Apple Maps on their iPhones, and at the same time, it can be provided by Siri itself when the digital assistant is asked to provide the weather forecast or air quality information.
At this point, Apple is yet to provide any official rollout details for air quality information, but given iOS 14.7 is still in the beta stage, maybe we’ll get more details when the rollout to production devices starts, possibly at some point next month.