Weatherby for Xiaomi: a breakdown of the application for weather forecasting from the Mi ecosystem

If you are the owner of a Xiaomi smartphone, you probably noticed the Weatherby app preinstalled - a standard weather service from the company. At first glance, it's a normal prediction widget, but it actually has hidden features, integration with Mi Account, and even connectivity to smart ecosystem devices. In this article, we'll go into detail about what Weatherby is, how it works across different models. Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO, And whether it should be replaced with alternatives like AccuWeather or Yandex.

The peculiarity of Weatherby is that it is closely related to the corporate shell. MIUI. The app doesn’t just show the temperature – it syncs with Mi Home to control climate control in a smart home, supports notifications for sudden weather changes, and can even affect the operation of some smartphone sensors (such as a barometer). And many users are deleting it because they think it's unnecessary. Let's see if it's justified.

What is Weatherby and why is it needed in Xiaomi?

Weatherby (sometimes mistakenly referred to as Weather Mi or Xiaomi Weather) is a proprietary weather app designed specifically for devices based on the weather. MIUI. It is pre-installed on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO, starting with the shell version MIUI 9.Unlike third-party weather services, Weatherby has several key features:

• 🔄 Deep integration with MIUI: Weather data is used by the system widget on the home screen, in the notification panel and even in Control Center.
• 🏠 Connection with Mi Home: If you have smart devices (such as Mi Air Conditioner or air purifier), the app can automatically adjust them to current weather conditions.
• 📊 Local data: uses not only global sources (e.g. AccuWeather), but also regional weather stations, which sometimes gives a more accurate forecast for Russia and the CIS.
• 🔔 Smart notifications: Warns of thunderstorms, hail, strong winds or a sharp cold snap, taking into account your location.

It’s important to understand that Weatherby isn’t just a wrapper for a third-party service, but it’s powered by Xiaomi’s own platform, which aggregates data from multiple sources, including government weather services in China and Europe, which explains why it sometimes has a different forecast than Google Weather or Yandex.Weather.

On the other hand, the app has its downsides, such as not manually configuring data sources, and the interface may seem overloaded due to the large number of tabs (weather per hour, 10 days, rainfall maps, air quality, etc.), and in some regions, Weatherby is unstable due to geolocation limitations.

How Weatherby Works: Data Sources and Predictive Prediction Accuracy

Weatherby’s forecast accuracy depends on three key factors: data sources, processing algorithms, and regional features. Unlike many peers, the app doesn’t rely entirely on a single data provider. According to traffic analysis, it uses a combination of:

• 🌍 AccuWeather (main global source, especially for Europe and America).
• 🇨🇳 China Meteorological Administration (CMA) — Asia and partly Russia.
• 🇷🇺 Local weather services (in Russia, the data of Roshydromet is partially involved, but without official partnership).
• 📡 Data from smartphone sensors (barometer, hygrometer) – to adjust current conditions.

And interestingly, if you notice that Weatherby's predictions are very different from reality, the problem may be that sources are the priority, for example, in Moscow, the app relies more on AccuWeather, and in small towns in Siberia, it relies on data. CMA, Unfortunately, in the settings, you can't manually select the source, but it's done automatically based on your location.

To check how accurate the forecast is in your area, we can compare Weatherby’s data with other services during the week.

1. Open Weatherby and write down the forecast for tomorrow (temperature, precipitation, wind).
2. Compare the results in Yandex.Weather and Google Weather.
3. Check out which service is closer to reality.

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If Weatherby is lying all the time in your city, try manually specifying the nearest major settlement in your location settings, for example, select Yekaterinburg instead of Forest, which can improve accuracy.

Compatibility with devices: on which smartphones Weatherby works

Weatherby is pre-installed on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO, steerable MIUI. However, its functionality may differ depending on the:

• 📱 Device models (flagships get advanced features, for example, integration with humidity sensors).
• 🌐 Firmware Region (in global versions) MIUI There may be no support for Chinese weather services).
• ⚙️ Versions MIUI (into MIUI 14+ Added widgets for Lock Screen).

Below is the compatibility table for popular models:

If your Weatherby device is missing, this may be due to:

• 🔧 Custom firmware (for example, LineageOS or Pixel Experience remove branded Xiaomi apps).
• 📦 A rooted device where the application has been manually removed.
• 🌍 Regional restrictions (in some countries, Xiaomi replaces Weatherby with Google Weather).

How to set up Weatherby: step-by-step instructions

Weatherby is the default mode, but it can befine-tune for your needs. Here are the key settings that are worth checking:

1. Add Locations: Open the App → press the badge + top-right → Type in the name of the city or allow access to geolocation, you can add up to 10 cities and swipe between them.
2. Set up notifications: Go to Settings (⚙️) → Notifications and activate notifications: 🌧️ Precipitation (rain, snow, hail). 🌡️ Temperature extremes. 💨 Strong wind (gusts over 15 m/s). 😷 Poor air quality (relevant to megacities).

Widgets on the main screen

Click the empty space on the main screen → Widgets → Find Weatherby and select a size (4×1, 4×2 or 2×2). The widget can be configured to display the current weather, forecast on the 5 day-paper.

Integration with Mi Home

If you have smart devices (such as Mi Air Purifier), open Mi Home, go to Profile. → Settings → Weather and enable Automatic climate adjustment, and now the air purifier will turn on when pollution is high, and the air conditioner will adjust the temperature to the street.

Add Home and Work City|Insert precipitation and wind notifications|Install the widget 4×2 front-screen|Sync with Mi Home (if you have a smart technique)|Disable background geolocation to save battery-->

Note: if you use Weatherby on a smartphone with AMOLED-On the screen, a dark theme widget will help save battery power. To do this, go to the application settings and select the Dark or Auto theme (on the system).

⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI Weatherby widget stopped updating, try clearing the app cache (Settings) → Annexes → Weatherby → Memory. → If that doesn't work, delete and add the widget again.

Weatherby Problems and How to Solve Them

Despite the integration with MIUI, Weatherby is not without bugs. Here are the most common problems and ways to fix them:

If none of these methods helped, try resetting the app settings:

1. Go to Settings. → Annexes → Weatherby → Memory.
2. Click Clear Data (this will delete all saved cities and settings!).
3. Restart the application and set it up again.

⚠️ Note: on certain firmware (for example, MIUI EU) Weatherby may conflict with Google Weather, in which case, disable auto-update for both apps or uninstall one of them.

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If Weatherby still doesn’t work properly after all the manipulations, check if you have a beta version installed on your device. MIUI. In this case, the problem can be solved only after a stable update is released.

Weatherby Alternatives: Should We Replace the Standard App?

Despite the integration with MIUI, Many users prefer third-party weather apps. Here's a comparison of Weatherby to popular alternatives:

• 🌤️ AccuWeather: Pros: more accurate forecast, detailed information by the clock, radar maps. Cons: a lot of advertising in the free version, no integration with Mi Home.
• 🌦️ Pros: optimized for Russia, convenient widgets, minimalist design. Cons: no support for smart devices Xiaomi.
• ☀️ Google Weather: Pros: minimalist interface, quick download. Cons: very limited functionality, no notifications of sudden changes.
• 🌪️ Windy: Pros: Best wind and precipitation maps for outdoor activities.Cons: a difficult interface for beginners, premium fee.

So should we remove Weatherby? It depends on your needs.

• 🔄 Leave if: Use Xiaomi smart devices (air conditioners, air purifiers); like integration with the widget on the lock screen; the forecast for small cities is important (sometimes Weatherby is more accurate than global services).
• ❌ Delete if: You prefer minimalist design (like Google Weather) You need extended weather cards (like Windy for fishing or paragliding.

Important: If you remove Weatherby, the weather widget on the home screen and in the notification panel will stop working, and it can only be replaced through third-party launchers (for example, Nova Launcher).

Hidden Weatherby features: what the application can do beyond forecasting

Few people know, but Weatherby has a lot more to do than just show the temperature.

• 📊 Weather history: At the bottom of the screen, click on the Calendar icon → select a date → Look at the weather on that day over the past 2 years, useful for planning trips ("and what weather was in Sochi last July?").
• 🌡️ Smartphone Sensors: If your phone is equipped with a barometer (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro), the app shows atmospheric pressure and altitude.
• 🚗 Driving Mode: Turn it on in the settings (Weatherby) → Settings → Driving mode.The app will warn you of ice, fog or strong wind on the route (data taken from maps Google Maps or Yandex.Navigator).
• 🌿 Comfort Index: On the main screen of the app swipe left → You will see a Comfort Index scale that takes into account temperature, humidity and wind for recommendations (e.g., “today it’s best to put on a jacket and take an umbrella").
• 📱 Quick commands for Google Assistant: You can set up voice commands like, "OK, Google, what's the forecast for tomorrow in Weatherby.

Another useful thing is exporting data, and if you need weather history for work or a hobby (like keeping a gardener's diary), you can save data to the public. CSV:

1. Open the Settings. → Export of data.
2. Select a period (up to 30 days).
3. Click Save – the file will be available in the folder Download/Weatherby.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions about Weatherby