Notify NYC vs Windmill Legacy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notify NYC
Receive official emergency alerts and information about important City services directly from New York City. This app provides location-based updates to keep you informed about emergency events.
- Official emergency communications
- Location-based alerts
- Information on emergency events
- Updates on City services
- Privacy-focused location tracking
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Notify NYC is New York City's official emergency communications program. Get the Notify NYC app to get information about emergency events and important City services, based on your location. New York City will never track or share your precise location with anyone.
Windmill Legacy
Control your home's air conditioning remotely. Set custom schedules for automatic operation and adjust settings to optimize your home's climate. Enjoy convenience and energy savings by managing your AC from anywhere.
- Remote AC control
- Custom scheduling
- Adjust AC settings
- Energy saving
- Home climate optimization
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The Windmill AC is powerful, quiet, and eco-friendly. Use this app to: 1. Control your AC from anywhere. Turn it on 10 minutes before you get home or shut it off in case you forget! 2. Set schedules so your AC turns on and off automatically based on your lifestyle. 3. Adjust the Windmill AC settings with ease, helping you create the perfect home environment.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Windmill Legacy at 4.8 against Notify NYC's 3.3. Windmill Legacy also leads on review sentiment (48% vs 25%) and ratings volume (509 vs 88). Notify NYC's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Windmill Legacy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Windmill Legacy has 509 ratings behind it against 88, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Notify NYC's written reviews are positive against 48% of Windmill Legacy's.
Notify NYC ships an update every 2 months, Windmill Legacy every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notify NYC | Windmill Legacy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (88 ratings) | 4.8 (509 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.5% of reviews | 48.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 88 | 509 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 190 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Department of Information Technology And Telecomm | The Air Lab, Inc. |
Customer experience
Notify NYC
Windmill Legacy
User reviews
Notify NYC
From 88 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Useful app for emergencies
- 👍 Good for staying informed
- 👍 Replaces email alerts
- 👍 Official emergency notification system
- 👍 Synthesized notifications from multiple agencies
Room to improve
- 🐛 Endless pop-up notifications
- 🐛 Cannot dismiss old alerts
- 🐛 Required missing person alerts
- 🐛 Overwhelms with too many alerts
- 🔋 Drains battery significantly
Windmill Legacy
From 509 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🎛️ Simple remote control functionality
- 📱 Convenient phone-based AC control
- 🔌 Easy device connection process
- ⚡ Solid basic performance
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connection and registration failures
- 🐛 iOS 16 compatibility issues
- 🔗 Poor smart home integration (Google Home/Alexa)
- ❌ Barebones feature set
- ⚠️ Legacy app with limited support
Bugs and requests
Notify NYC
Reported bugs
13 issues- Pop-up notifications repeat endlessly and cannot be dismissed
- Notification preferences cannot be saved
- App randomly closes when in use
- Cannot get past the Terms of Use agreement
- No accept button to press on terms of service
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Repeatedly popping up old notifications
- Alerts keep popping up incessantly
- Parking reform pop up won’t stop popping up
- Old notifications upon opening app
- Ignores notification settings on iPhone
- Cannot navigate app when open
- Required missing person alerts cannot be deactivated
- Missing pictures in missing person alerts
Requested features
13 requests- Allow deactivation of missing person alerts
- Include pictures in missing person alerts
- Add a share button for alerts
- Allow users to choose which alerts they receive (without mandatory ones)
- More granular alert controls
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Option to receive amber/grey alerts
- Ability to set neighborhood for localized alerts
- Dismiss All button for pop-up notifications
- Eliminate pop-ups and rely on banner notifications
- Fix inability to navigate app when open
- Update the app regularly
- Improve alert detail and specificity
- Allow users to toggle off ALL categories of alerts
Windmill Legacy
Reported bugs
6 issues- App fails to find or register AC units
- Device doesn't appear in list without toggling visibility
- AC runs continuously without respecting temperature targets
- Fahrenheit not properly recognized
- Google Home temperature control non-functional
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Celsius/Fahrenheit switching issues
Requested features
7 requests- Advanced scheduling (temperature and mode changes)
- Smart scheduling based on outdoor temperature
- Filter cleaning reminders
- Better Alexa and Google Home integration
- Manual link in app settings
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Separate scheduling for different times of day
- Update for newer app compatibility
In-app purchases
Notify NYC
No in-app purchases
Windmill Legacy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Notify NYC free?
Is Windmill Legacy free?
Which has better reviews, Notify NYC or Windmill Legacy?
Do Notify NYC or Windmill Legacy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Notify NYC or Windmill Legacy?
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