EPA's SunWise UV Index is a free, ad-free weather utility providing UV radiation forecasts and sun safety education on iOS.
Product velocity
Dormant
Daily rank 🇺🇸
—
Weather
Sentiment
3.1
67 reviews
Nemesis
Air Matters
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire this app to manage sun exposure risks based on authoritative government data, but the current technical instability prevents them from completing this job-to-be-done.
For Individuals planning outdoor activities who require sun safety information and UV radiation monitoring.
What does it look like?
Key features
Daily and hourly forecasts of ultraviolet radiation intensity based on location.
Guidelines on protective clothing and sunscreen usage.
How much does it cost?
The app is a public service utility with no monetization.
Velocity
Dormant developmentUX improvementsShow more...
The app has entered a zombie state, with no updates released in the last 3.5 years. The development history shows a significant deceleration, moving from occasional feature updates in 2015 and 2019 to a single release in late 2022. There is no evidence of active maintenance or live operations, and the app appears to be in a state of abandonment.
Who built it?
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
2 apps tracked · Weather
EPA AIRNowUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate the application provides accurate uv index data that helps photosensitive users plan their daily outdoor activities and the interface remains free of advertisements which allows for a clean and distraction-free user experience.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- The application provides accurate UV index data that helps photosensitive users plan their daily outdoor activities
- The interface remains free of advertisements which allows for a clean and distraction-free user experience
- The application fails to load data or displays blank screens consistently following the latest update
49 of 49 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Frustrated overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 2 user requests, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for EPA's SunWise UV Index
How's the Weather market?
The app maintains a 3.13-star rating across 67 total reviews, reflecting significant user frustration following the latest update. Its lack of monetization and government-backed status positions it as a niche utility rather than a commercial competitor.
The rivals identified
By Air Matters Network Pty Ltd
Air Matters competes directly by providing environmental health data, shifting the focus from UV radiation to broader air quality metrics that influence outdoor safety decisions.
- Integrates directly with consumer hardware sensors for real-time, hyper-local air quality monitoring data
- Maintains a massive global data API that provides consistent, reliable coverage across international markets
- Offers a significantly more mature ecosystem with over 4,000 reviews compared to this app's limited footprint
SkyGuard®Contender
Post Bulletin StormTRACKERContender
My PurpleAirContender
Solar Alert: Protect your LifeContenderUnlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for EPA's SunWise UV Index
Where is it heading?
The UV-utility market is consolidating around apps that offer proactive, wearable-integrated alerts. EPA's SunWise UV Index remains in a maintenance-mode posture that fails to meet basic reliability standards, so the app will likely continue to lose users to commercial rivals unless technical stability is restored.
- Persistent data-loading failures post-update prevent core utility, which compounds the rating drag already visible on the platform.
- The 1,333-day update dormancy signals a lack of active maintenance, leaving the app vulnerable to modern, feature-rich competitors.
The SWOT
- Scientific credibility backed by EPA/CDC
- Ad-free, clean utility-focused interface
- Integration with wearable devices for alerts
- B2B partnerships for public health education
Next best moves
Audit data-loading logic because blank screens are the primary churn driver post-update → restore baseline functionality.
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's government-backed status is its greatest liability…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Real-time hyper-local sensor integration (available in Air Matters but absent here) +1
Since the last report: The app's competitive position remains stagnant, with new technical complaints regarding tablet usability and a more critical assessment of its maintenance-mode status.
Bottom line
EPA's SunWise UV Index retains high-trust authority through its government backing, but the lack of proactive alerts and persistent technical failures alienate the core user base, so the team must prioritize stability fixes before attempting feature expansion.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeSources
- [1] App Store, source
Report last updated