Google Clock 7.5 prepares to show a “local weather on the clock” option when you have the com.google.android.apps.weather package installed. This was first mentioned by 9to5Google, who believes this package will be a new, standalone Weather app. We have a different theory, though.
As 9to5Google reports and we can confirm with the screenshot above/my own analysis, Google Clock 7.5 will support showing weather info on the Clock screen. This info is provided by the com.google.android.apps.weather package, which isn’t available yet.
But is this package actually the new Weather experience that Google showed off recently? Weather is currently part of the Google App and can only be accessed by first searching “Weather” & then adding a home screen shortcut (or by launching the activity directly if you know how).
Instead of a standalone app you interact with, though, we think this new app could just be a location-based weather provider for not just the Clock app but potentially other Google apps down the road. And the new experience would remain part of the Google App.
Adding location-based weather directly into Clock or other apps would require requesting location permissions. Having an external provider would avoid that. There’s a lot of skepticism & concern lately around apps and location access.
Google’s done this kind of thing before. Cough & snore detection, for example, is implemented by Android System Intelligence rather than the Clock or Digital Wellbeing apps.
Regardless, Google should still definitely release a “Weather” app on the Play Store, even if it’s just a shortcut to the existing experience in the Google App (like they did with the Lens and Podcasts). It would be a lot more convenient and discoverable for users.