# Air Quality Reader — Real-time air quality readings

> Real-time global air quality index (AQI) readings from PurpleAir sensors. (iPhone/iPad app by Bret Taylor.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/air-quality-reader/id1535362123 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Bret Taylor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1039747787)
- Category: Weather, Health & Fitness
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.90/5 from 146 App Store ratings · 61 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 14.0 · 4 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2020-10-11
- Data updated: 2026-08-25
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/air-quality-reader/id1535362123/reviews.md

## What is Air Quality Reader?

See real-time air quality index (AQI) readings from PurpleAir sensors around the world.

Widgets enable you to get a map of real-time AQI readings directly on your home screen.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) tells you how clean or polluted your air is and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. This app displays AQI readings from PurpleAir, a collection of air quality sensors run by enthusiasts and air quality professionals around the world.

## Key features

- Real-time AQI readings
- Global sensor network
- Home screen widgets
- Health effect information
- Pollution monitoring

## What do users think of Air Quality Reader?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Simple and effective app
- 🗺️ Map widget available
- 💨 Real-time air quality data
- 💙 Great public service app
- ✨ Ad-free experience

**Cons**

- ❌ Data not updating
-  stale Data displayed
- ⚠️ Dangerously misleading data
- 📉 Sensors disappeared
- ❓ Data accuracy issues
- 📱 iOS specific limitations
- 🪲 Bugs introduced by iOS updates

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App stopped updating air quality data
- Data feed stopped working
- Sensors not updating for months
- Indoor sensors not showing
- My unit is missing from map
- Sensor data is incorrect
- Data not current
- No widget available
- App not connecting to network
- Inaccurate readings compared to other sources
- App unable to read zero AQI
- Widget not showing data
- App shows stale data with no indication of age

**Most requested features**

- Increase font size for visually impaired
- Add ability to toggle indoor sensors
- Add ability to filter indoor vs outdoor sensors
- Add pollen data
- Notification options for air quality drops
- Add temperature display
- Option to sign in to personal Purple Air monitor
- Add PM 0.3 option
- Ability to filter by EPA conversion
- Add dark mode

## Recent user reviews (10 of 61)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/air-quality-reader/id1535362123/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Not accurate

*2026-08-11*

doesn’t seem to be reporting air quality accurately

### 1/5 — iPhone app not work. iPad great

*2026-08-07*

The iPhone version of this is inaccurate and useless as data wrong 

iPad is great.  Web pages s useful as well

### 1/5 — Data 11 months old

*2026-08-07*

disappeared ???

### 1/5 — No longer functioning?

*2026-08-06, version 1.2*

I launched this app for the first time in months and all of the data is 11 months old. Looks like it's no longer fetching current data.

### 1/5 — Not updating data

*2026-07-12, version 1.2*

All the data for the sensors in my area hasn’t been update in 10 months. The app seems dead.

### 1/5 — Great app… until it broke

*2026-02-06, version 1.2*

Sometime in the past 3 years this app completely stopped updating its air quality data. This makes this app basically entirely useless.

### 1/5 — Stopped working

*2026-02-05, version 1.2*

This app was awesome but unfortunately it stopped working as of October 2025, the data is no longer updated from PurpleAir.

### 1/5 — Data is not current

*2025-11-28, version 1.2*

The data shown by the app is not current. It shows all green while Purple Air’s own map shows red and orange.

### 1/5 — this info isnt updating

*2025-10-19, version 1.2*

it shows the sensors, but they all say updated two months ago. not useful unfortunately

### 1/5 — Dead app

*2025-09-28, version 1.2*

Hasn’t been updated in years. Uses stale data now so it’s completely useless. Should be pulled from the App Store.

## Frequently asked questions about Air Quality Reader

### What does this app do?

This app provides real-time air quality index (AQI) readings from PurpleAir sensors located worldwide. It helps you understand how clean or polluted your air is and any associated health concerns.

### How can I see air quality on my home screen?

The app offers widgets that allow you to display a map of real-time AQI readings directly on your device's home screen for quick access.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, the application is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned.

### Where does the air quality data come from?

The app sources its AQI readings from PurpleAir sensors. These sensors are operated by both enthusiasts and air quality professionals globally.

### Who is this app for?

This app is designed for anyone interested in monitoring air quality, including individuals concerned about pollution's impact on their health or those who want to stay informed about environmental conditions.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.2 — 2021-08-29

With this release, you can toggle between the default EPA air quality readings and the raw PurpleAir air quality numbers that you see on the PurpleAir web site.

While the EPA numbers more accurately represent US EPA air quality, so many users have asked me about the discrepancy, I wanted to provide access to both in the app.

Please keep the feedback coming!

### 1.1 — 2020-10-17

New features! Tap on sensors to see more information:
- Air quality readings from the past 24 hours
- When the sensor data was last updated
- A description of the health risks

And, boring but important: the widget requires less data to update, saving your data plan.

### 1.0.1 — 2020-10-13

Fixed two annoying bugs:
- Widget will no longer revert to default location (Cupertino) periodically
- Air quality readings properly update on every reload

### 1.0 — 2020-10-11

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*