In recent months, the USA has had numerous forest, refinery, and chemical fires, to name a few If you are worried about local air quality from these fires, pollen, or other environmental pollution, you can check the current Air Quality Index (AQI) using your iPhone or iPad. Currently, Apple only supports checking the AQI in certain countries that includes the USA, United Kingdom, India, and Germany. Apple plans to roll out the AQI in more regions in the future.
This is for the iPhone and iPad
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What is the Air Quality Index
The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a numerical indicator of regional outdoor air quality in your area. Each country has its own way of determining air quality. For example, in the USA, the AQI iss defined by the Environmental Protextion Agengy (EPA) as a composite scale from 0 to 500 that incorporates inormation about five different pollutants (ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide) into one index.
The USA. AQI is divided into six categories, each with its own color. An AQI above 100 means the air quality is dangerous to sensitive groups. As the AQI rises, the number of people impacted by the poor air quality increases. Refer to below image:
Other countries use their own custom AQI methodology, but the color codes are similar to the USA. Regardless of country, the goal of every AQI is to stand the crummy air and avoid getting sick . It is wise to know what the air is like so you can make the best decisions for your health.
Check AQI using Apple Maps
One of the fastest ways to check AQI for your area is by using Apple Maps on your iPhone or iPad running iOS or iPadOS 12.2 or later.
First, launch Settings. See below image:
Next, scroll down till you see Maps and tap it. See followingimage:
Now, scroll down to the CLIMATE section and enable Air Quality Index. Refer to below image:
Next, open the Apple Maps app and then tap the navigation arrow to center the map on your current location. (It is assumed you have enabled Location Services). See below image:
Once the map is correctly positioned, look for a small rectangular box in the bottom-right corner of your screen. If your country is supported, you will see a local temperature and an AQI number along with a category color code. See following image:
If you don’t see an AQI number in the corner, it might not be available in your country via Apple Maps. If the feature is supported, reposition the map, zoom in enough, wait a moment, and that area’s AQI will appear in the corner of your screen. Refer to below image:
Check AQI using Apple Weather
You can also check the AQI using the Apple Weather pre-installed app. Open the the Weather app and then scroll down to the bottom of your local forecast page. There you will see the Air Qualtiy Index and Air Quality indication. Pretty neat! See below image:
Third Party App
For a more global view of AQI, you may want to check out the Air Matters app, available on the Apple App store for the iPhone or iPad. Click here to preview and/or download. The free version comes with ads, but you can remove the ads with their paid version.
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