Google Gives Its News And Weather App A Dark Theme

For many years, Google’s News And Weather app was relegated to almost abandonware status. Horrific aesthetics, a clumsy interface, and a lack of real purpose made News And Weather a real blemish on Google’s otherwise magnificent portfolio of well-designed apps.

Then, when the developer preview for Android L was crescendoing, Google unveiled its apps’ new material design makeover. News And Weather was one of these apps to get a fashion fix, which came as quite a bit of surprise to some as it seemed that Google had all but ditched it.

Now, only a few months later, Google has again reexamined News And Weather’s beauty and has decided that this faithful companion deserves something a little more slinky in its closet. Users now have the option of choosing between the default white material design similar to that seen in Google Now or a dark theme that isn’t quite so gaudy.

As you can see in the pictures I took on my Nexus 5, the dark theme extends to the widgets as well.
In addition to the dark theme, Google is also injecting a few Lollipop animations into the app, as well as a search function.
The News And Weather app is rolling out now, so check out the link to Google Play to see if you have an update you need to accept, or pick up the app to begin with. Alternatively, if you prefer to get your hands on the .apk file, this will be provided below as well.
Hopefully Google will see the popularity of this theme choosing and will do something similar with Google Now. I can dream, can’t I?