Paku for PurpleAir 4+

Atmospheric chemist here, this is a pretty good app

Good connectivity and the widget apps for the pro option are very nice. Interface is very user friendly and the updates are quite quick. The ~$1/month membership for an annual price seems very fair. I think my colleagues and I would really enjoy seeing an option to display both PM 1 and PM 2.5 data (especially as a widget option!). Purple air offers this publicly but AQI tends to be the preferred public option for good reason. I think as indoor air quality becomes more prevalent as an issue, things will get more nuanced.

Usage of indoor air quality sensors have been increasing quite rapidly, the new IKEA ones are going to further this even more. In one of our recent papers, I think the number of indoor sensors doubled every two years. I would suggest looking to eventually incorporate a user friendly page on the app (or as a widget) that can incorporate multiple air sensors in one location (outdoor, kitchen, bedroom, etc). And possibly even other sensor companies. Very nice app! Great job on it.

Finally an app to view PurpleAir data!

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

However, the app is a little too simple. For example, the app never refreshes data. If I leave the app open and want to see the current air quality, I have to quit and relaunch the app. Ideally the app 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 the app 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 Paku allowed us to view temperature data from PurpleAir sensors.

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

Developer Response ,

Thanks for the great feedback! Since your review, the app has had all the features you've requested added. Hopefully you find it useful - I would really appreciate an updated rating if you have time!

Everything I want for air quality monitoring

Seriously impressed by this app. It’s the perfect companion to my PurpleAir outdoor sensor.

With the addition today of subscription push alerts when air quality exceeds a defined level at a sensor, I’m struggling to think of any other features that I’m really missing. The quality of the app easily justifies the small subscription cost. I love the widgets on my Lock Screen too.

The only missing feature that springs to mind is a list view of sensors rather than the map view. The map view is great for panning around my area but I have family and friends spread around the country and it would be nice to see air quality/temp/humidity for a list of locations at a glance.

Developer Response ,

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! A favorites list would be a great addition, I'll look into that.

Update: you can now add sensors as favorites, and view your favorites in a list!