Paku for PurpleAir Reviews

by Luxetnox13

I love the concept of an app that provides a widget for purple air. However, the widget does not work correctly. Even when I change the settings (indoor vs outdoor sensor, conversion factor, real-time vs average) The widget does not reflect these settings. Additionally, every time I view the widget, it shows different data moment to moment. At first I thought this was because the widget was displaying real time data, but the data on purple air itself was not changing second to second when I tested this so I think that’s an additional bug. Hopefully these get worked out and the LRAPA conversion added :)

by Medium Splash

Just downloaded Paku and it looks very useful, except that those of us (like me) with zero aptitude for geography NEED an option to type in the city whose AQI we want. Then we need a way to save our favorite locations for future checks.

I’m very happy that someone has created an app for Purple Air data. It just needs that extra function to make the data easy to find for all.

by @Magnuson

I love how this app lets me avoid the clunky PurpleAir website. Paku is wonderfully simple and looks good.

However, Paku is a little too simple. For example, Paku never refreshes data. If I leave Paku open and want to see the current air quality, I have to quit and relaunch Paku . Ideally Paku would refresh data automatically every 5-10 minutes. However, a manual refresh option is an absolute requirement for an app like this. Having to quit and relaunch Paku just to refresh the data available is super obtuse and cumbersome.

Another issue is that PurpleAir sensors grab lots more data than only the AQI. I find PurpleAir sensors even more useful for their temperature readings than their AQI readings. The sensor saturation is so high in the San Francisco Bay Area that they make it really easy to see what all the microclimates are like around the bay. I can then use this to plan my outdoor activities. It would be fantastic if this app allowed us to view temperature data from PurpleAir sensors.

All said, it's fantastic that this app exists at all. I'd gladly pay $10 for Paku as it exists today. Add auto-refresh and temperature data and I'd more than willingly pay $20. Paku has huge value potential for my daily life. I hope to see it reach that potential one day.

by Layla's Mommy

I really like Paku as it is able to show more precise results in any given area. It would be nice, though, if there was a link to buy one of the sensors that are compatible with Paku. It’s not a huge update, but it would be a nice option to have as a consumer. I’d like to get a sensor that can feed results into Paku since I live in an area that is affected by the fires in California every year.

by Abstractproperty

this app is filled with a lot of great simplicity, making it easy to use and pretty to look at. However, I’ve noticed that the settings I use for viewing values resets each time I close Paku . I think the experience would be better if these didn’t need to be keyed in each time.

It would also be nice if the widget didn’t just report the nearest station value, but instead averaged the nearest 3, for example, considering that sensors can often be individually unreliable. This averaging feature would be also nice when zooming out, so that values would be legible at “higher altitudes”.

by Anoymous1753986

First of all, Paku is incredible. It’s map and widgets are great and show the data great. Your most recent update added a lot of features I was wanted. I only have a few problems. First, when zooming in on the San Jose area, the map lags. If I am not careful, my iPad Pro 2020 will lag out to the point of a force restart- the equivalent of holding down the power button on a laptop. I have a few suggestions- a search bar and the ability to favorite locations and have them stand out. Temperature at the sensor would also be cool in the widget and app. Other than that, incredible app.

by OliPetry

Love that Paku uses purple air to show my local quality. Sooooo close to 5 stars! The interface is simple and gives a good way to see purple air numbers. Awesome that I can change the correction algorithms though would be even better if I could change to the new EPA correction. The AQandU one is pretty useless to be honest when I compare it to a close by AirNow sensor.

Last, but not least a small annoyance for those that have a purple air sensor. The blue dot indicating my GPS location is rendered directly on top of my sensor reading. Would be awesome if that could be rendered behind it.

by DragonflyAGK

Living on the west coast with the insane amount of large wildfires, checking the air quality has become a necessity. Paku makes it so much easier. It works great and and is easy to use.
There are only 2 things I would add to make it even better. Add the ability to see the “woodsmoke” layer that Purple Air now offers, and add the ability to save multiple locations that I can easily toggle between. Multiple locations is super helpful when traveling, plus I like to be able to monitor the air quality for my mother in law who is elderly and lives in another state.

by Sri Lankan Express

Great app to help add iPhone features from the PurpleAir map. Any chance Paku can integrate the AQI, based on location, to watchOS? I love how Paku pulls up-to-date air sensor data directly from PurpleAir and the widget feature. The last missing thing to make this a trifecta would be to allow AQI based from Paku to be used as an Apple Watch complication.

by Dtoyd

Great, clear interface. I only miss an option to indicate on the widget which levels (EPA, AQandU or "None") I'm looking at and whether it's real time or ten minute average or hour average, etc.

I'd also like option to show an average of levels of several nearby sensors on the widget, rather than just one sensor, because sometimes they aren't very close readings

by Jeffreywescott

UPDATE: this seems to have been fixed. Great app!

Most of the time, the widget just shows an error. If I click on the widget, sometimes it will open into Paku , then load and update, but the idea of using it as a “quick glance to see the AQI” is not achievable.

by Fast_lychee

Love using widget to show up-to-date readings from one sensor. With other apps the readings seem to be hours old. Two feature requests: be able to show PM2.5 or PM10 instead of only AQI; be able to select own PurpleAir sensor on local network.

by Collegetalk

I love the fact that there are plenty of sensors. You can almost tell what the AQI is in your neighborhood.
I use Paku daily to decide if I wear a N95 mask as my lungs are impaired. We have one of the worst AQI indexes in the country as the fires in CA get worse and our air gets trapped in the Central Valley. Thank you for providing this easy valuable APP.

by Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Great app, much better to use than the PurpleAir website. Since PurpleAir updated, I noticed some discrepancies in the AQI standards for this app, which tends to read low. My other suggestion: please add notifications when AQI materially deteriorates or improves! That way, we don't have to manually check the widget or app every so often to avoid unpleasant surprises.

by Ebrosie

I have the this app widget and check every day to know if I need to pop on an N95 to avoid asthma issues. I used to have to click around on Purple Air so this has added up to many minutes saved per week (and probably a few asthma attacks). Thanks so much for making this!!

by XIXIILXXXI

I have found that while Purple Air does not have an official app, this app is as close to what I'd expect of an app if Purple Air did make one. The integration of Apple Maps with Purple Air data, combine with the ability to click on a radial AQI and launch the Purple Air website within the this app app, and real time widgets on the iPhone, make this a near perfect experience. I only wish that there would be more development into an Apple Watch complication, as well as data integration such as PM 1, 2.5, 10, temp and humidity all at a glance from the widget view.

by HarlowPWhitcomb

Great way to view purple air data. Loads fast and displays on Apple Maps. App is responsive and easy to navigate.

This is one of those apps that is just about perfect right out of the gate: does exactly what you need and nothing else. Hopefully they won’t “improve” it too much in the future.

I would consider “tipping” the developers at a more realistic price point - $1-2 instead of $6 and up.

by Khad

I had a problem with Paku the first time I installed it. Contacted the developer and got an update that resolved the problem.

Then I had a bogus sensor near me, so the widget wasn’t showing helpful info. Again the developer released another update that added an option to hide specific sensors.

I can now see at a glance just how bad the air quality is near me. 😂😭😷 Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

by GeoJohn

This is just exactly what is needed for getting quick and easy access to your favorite and/or closest Purple Air sensor via Home Screen widget, with quick access from there to the purple air map. Love being able to do a quick swipe right to see what the air quality is right now where I’m at and from there get additional info if needed.

by Beekeeper Art

We don’t live near an airport so what we saw on the news might or might not be accurate. With all the fires and crazy wind shifts in San Jose it is great that we can click an app and get real time reading with in 1/4 mile of our house. I’m a Beekeeper and some days I do a lot of heavy lifting moving hives and honey. Paku lets me know if it’s safe or I should wait a day. Thanks so much for making this available on line.

Art Beekeeper.

by Tristantmk

Is especially helpful with the new update which displays the scale, does its job quite well.

by Stonedrop

Has one job and does it well.

by _Ton12345

Don’t have to open a tiny browser on my phone!