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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

WKYT FirstAlert Weather

35
User verdict / 100 High confidence In trouble

The WKYT FirstAlert Weather app, despite a high lifetime rating, is currently experiencing significant user dissatisfaction due to an update that introduced numerous ads, performance issues like crashing and slow loading, and a less user-friendly interface, overshadowing its historically praised accurate radar and local forecasts.

4.8★ lifetime (14,446) Free to download since 2010 by Gray Television Group, Inc. updated 1.5 mo ago recent negative 47% 120 reviews across 1 regions
Ads Performance Issues Radar Accuracy/Functionality User Interface/Experience Notifications
5★47
4★12
3★10
2★15
1★47
recent reviews across 1 regions, vs the 4.8★ lifetime average

Recent reviews for the WKYT FirstAlert Weather app indicate a sharp decline in user satisfaction following a recent update. Users report an overwhelming number of ads, frequent app crashes, and a less intuitive interface, contrasting with its previously high ratings for accurate weather information and radar. The app's performance issues and design changes are leading many long-time users to seek alternatives.

What users like

  • Provides accurate local weather forecasts and radar informationR1R8R11R16
  • Helpful for tracking storms and planning daily activitiesR11R29R47
  • Offers good coverage, especially for commuters in the regionR18

What users complain about

  • Excessive and intrusive advertisements disrupt user experienceR4R5R13R15
  • Frequent app crashes and failure to open, even after updatesR7R68R70R75
  • Radar is often inaccurate, delayed, or fails to load/updateR3R10R12R19
  • Lack of audio for weather alerts and videos, while ads play perfectlyR22R63R64R69
  • Recent updates made the interface less user-friendly and harder to find key informationR3R35R71R72
  • Notifications are sometimes annoying or do not work as expectedR3R9R21R32
  • Forecast videos are outdated or lack current informationR6R30

Latest update · v6.2.512

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

Bug fixes and performance improvements

Recurring themes

Ads negative
Many users complain about an excessive number of ads, which are often irrelevant, intrusive, and interrupt the ability to access weather information quickly. Some report ads playing perfectly while weather content has no sound.R4R5R13R15
Performance Issues negative
The app frequently crashes, fails to open, or loads very slowly, making it unusable for many. This issue is reported across multiple devices and persists even after updates and reinstallation.R7R68R70R74
Radar Accuracy/Functionality negative
Users frequently report that the radar is inaccurate, delayed (by 15 minutes or more), or simply doesn't show precipitation when it's actively raining. Some also note issues with the radar freezing or not loading correctly.R3R10R12R19
User Interface/Experience negative
Recent updates have led to a less intuitive and cluttered interface. Users struggle to find basic information like current temperature, and features like traffic reports have become harder to locate or are missing. Many prefer the old layout.R3R6R23R35
Notifications mixed
While some appreciate timely alerts for severe weather, others find notifications annoying (e.g., for show starts) or report that critical alerts (like lightning or severe weather) are not working or lack audio. A bug also stops music playback when the app opens.R3R9R21R32

Who it's for

This app is for users who prioritize local weather forecasts and radar from WKYT and are willing to tolerate significant ad interruptions and potential app instability R1R8R11R16. It is not for users who need a fast, ad-free, or consistently reliable weather app, especially those who rely on accurate, real-time radar for critical situations R4R5R7R12.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative, contradicting the high lifetime rating. Many reviews explicitly state that recent updates have degraded the app's quality, indicating a negative trajectory. The developer's notes mention 'bug fixes and performance improvements,' but recent reviews directly contradict these claims, reporting more crashes and performance issues.

Frequently asked

Does the WKYT FirstAlert Weather app have a lot of ads?
Yes, many recent reviews indicate that the app has an excessive number of ads, which are often intrusive and disrupt the user experience, sometimes even playing perfectly while weather content has no sound R4R5R13R15.
Is the radar accurate on the WKYT FirstAlert Weather app?
Recent user reviews frequently report that the radar is inaccurate, delayed by about 15 minutes, or fails to show precipitation when it is actively raining, making it unreliable during stormy weather R3R12R24R80.
Does the WKYT FirstAlert Weather app crash frequently?
Yes, many users report that the app frequently crashes, fails to open, or experiences glitches, making it unusable for them, even after updates and reinstallation R7R68R75R77.
Did a recent update change the WKYT FirstAlert Weather app's interface?
Yes, recent updates have significantly changed the app's interface, with many users finding it less user-friendly, cluttered with ads, and making it difficult to find key information like current temperatures or traffic reports R82R87R90R91.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] 4/5 · US Great weather app: No nonsense info so far the best!
  2. [R8] 5/5 · US Great Weather Information: I really enjoy the great features. The Radar and the updates and hour by hour are really good.
  3. [R11] 5/5 · US Weather watcher: I enjoy the weather app because I can check the weather any time of day or night. It’s also great for tracking storms.
  4. [R16] 5/5 · US AWSOME: This app is good for telling you the most accurate weather forecast and will help you get dressed in the mornings.
  5. [R29] 5/5 · US Weather: Love the weather forecast as it helps me plan my daily activities.
  6. [R47] 5/5 · US Enjoying this app: I work outside daily with the public helping helping low income family with free cell phone so this app makes life so much easier
  7. [R18] 4/5 · US 4 corners of our state: I am a native of Fayette County’s that moved to Louisville 3 years ago Louisville channels cut off the Lexington weather map unnecessarily due to the hundreds of thousands of commuters that travel back & forth daily your Lexington station has better coverage of E And West weather & safety conditions THANK YOU M M Baughman Please inform your sister station to do the same
  8. [R4] 1/5 · US Keeps Getting Worse: Just got alert about upcoming forecast at 11:00 am. Turned on the app for 3 minutes of ads prior to 11:00. It’s 11:03 and still in ads/music mode. Just closed the app. Worthless would be giving undo credit.
  9. [R5] 1/5 · US Ads: So many ads I cannot get to the weather!!
  10. [R13] 1/5 · US Don’t rely on this app: This app makes you watch a 20 second ad before you can even watch the alert that was just issued. If someone happened to open it when those 20 seconds mattered I guess WKYT and WYMT wouldn’t mind as long as they get their ad funding!
  11. [R15] 3/5 · US Too many ads: I want a weather forecast… but am forced to watch irrelevant ads.
  12. [R7] 1/5 · US Glitching App: App is pretty much unusable 90% of time. As soon as you click on the app it will open and then glitch and go back to home screen within 5 seconds. My app is updated and actually experiences this glitch on multiple devices. I’ve reached out to WKYT Facebook page a year ago and they said they would pass it along to their IT team but the app is still doing it. I love WKYT weather and w
  13. [R68] 1/5 · US Crashing: I had this app for many years and now it keeps crashing I’ve deleted and re-downloaded it many times and updated it as well but I still can use this app, it won’t even open. I click on it and it takes me to the WKYT blue page them crashes making me go back to my home screen. Finding a new app if problem don’t fix.
  14. [R70] 5/5 · US Good radar, Bad app: App Won’t load at least once daily. Have to shut off my phone to get the app to open.
  15. [R75] 3/5 · US Bad update: I updated my app today and now it won’t open. I’ve done all the usual tricks and nothing works.
  16. [R3] 3/5 · US Okay: I am using this app cause previous one meant for a state below me no longer works for me although it did up until like 2-3 months ago. So this one’s local but it’s not the best. No alert options for lightening. Somehow I get alerts on ai version of ai person talking about something, so turned off all alerts. Last few days was not showing anything on radar not ANYWHERE even when zoomed out to
  17. [R10] 3/5 · US Adds: Know you have to have adds. But would like precipitation for area updated more often and correctly. Otherwise all good!
  18. [R12] 1/5 · US Inaccurate Radar: Don’t trust the radar on this one. Very inaccurate in comparison to TWC.
  19. [R19] 2/5 · US Update: The radar for the 24 hour period doesn’t show the rest of the forecast. Update please.
  20. [R22] 2/5 · US Weather review: When we tap the button to listen there’s no sound Yes, my computer, iPad and iPhone are working
  21. [R63] 1/5 · US Lousy job. Don’t bother: Other reviewer was right - sound is fine for ads but nonexistent for THE WEATHER!!! Ridiculous. Will delete and find a more reliable app
  22. [R64] 1/5 · US Stinks: Odd how all the ads play perfect but when you want to actually listen to the weather. The audio cuts in and out. Deleted................................
  23. [R69] 5/5 · US This app is a waste: There is never any audio on the weather alerts on this app except for the commercials. You just end up seeing weather maps roll by with no comments.
  24. [R35] 5/5 · US Difficult: To much on the app. Just make it simple! Just give me the weather and that’s it. Nothing fancy!!
  25. [R71] 1/5 · US No improvement!!!: The previous version was so much better than this "improved" version. Difficult to get the info I want. Whoever made the decision to use this new app is simply mistaken.
  26. [R72] 4/5 · US Bad Changes: The app keeps getting worse. It used to be great. The new app is really bad. The past-now-future feature is totally worthless on the new app. Map now black background or all white!!!
  27. [R9] 2/5 · US Good, but…: The app is helpful, and I used to appreciate their warnings of weather alerts. Unfortunately now it annoys you every time the show is starting so I’ve had to turn notifications off. I’ll be switching to another app for alerts.
  28. [R21] 5/5 · US Too much: - 4:30am and trying to sleep- haha~ lightning has been detected in your area- wow no kidding?! Maybe turn it off with the BUZZZZ 😫
  29. [R32] 4/5 · US Something’s changed: What happened to the voice notifications? Not only that, but I don’t even get a written alert notification anymore for severe weather. All my notification settings are turned on. I like this app, but I miss the alerts.
  30. [R6] 1/5 · US Junk: Nothing to see unless it’s a live schedule viewing. I am fine with watching editions from earlier in the day but using iPhone17 nothing ever plays except for the ads that when done just go to a blank screen. Reminds me of the app on firestick. Something has changed and I can’t watch previous newscasts anymore only small little clips? Who wants to do that day in and out. Lex18 has been more
  31. [R30] 3/5 · US Forecast Videos Lacking: They’ll occasionally post videos from earlier in the day with outdated information. The website is updated more often.
  32. [R74] 1/5 · US Fix This App: Has been my preferred weather app for a long time. However, more than half the time now when I open the app, it says there’s a network connection problem. Only way to clear this erroneous information is to completely shut down the app and then open it again. Same thing happens on both my iPhone and my iPad. VERRRRRY ANOYING! Please fix this so I don’t have to find a different preferr
  33. [R23] 3/5 · US Generic: Every weather app i’ve installed looks the same. Layout generic with dew/humidity run together. Not as advertised. Start page same for 2 other apps.
  34. [R24] 2/5 · US Only two stars: It’s not up-to-date most of the time and gives inaccurate information. it can be pouring the rain at our location and show that there is no rain on the radar. The temperature is always different from the forecast on the TV, or on our own temperature gauge at our house, etc.. I understand that that are variables @ different locations….
  35. [R80] 1/5 · US Do Not Waste Your Time With App: Radar does not work. As I type this, it is pouring the rain outside and the radar shows no precipitation. They just updated the app and it does not work anymore. Going to delete and find a new weather app. Don’t waste your time with this one.
  36. [R77] 1/5 · US Crashes: The latest update made the app crash. You can not even open it anymore. It crashed a lot before but now the app is useless.
  37. [R82] 1/5 · US Needs home screen work: The home screen should immediately display the temperature without scrolling, like it used to. Now after the most recent update I can’t find the temp at all and I hope when they fix that they revert it to the old home screen style.
  38. [R87] 1/5 · US Horrible Update: The new update is horrible. It takes at least 30-60 seconds for anything to show up when I open it. I can’t even find the “Traffic” option anymore. It’s bombarded with ads. Not a fan.
  39. [R90] 2/5 · US Hate the new changes!: Have used this app for a long time now and loved it. But I hate the recent changes. The home screen used to give radar, current temp and the week’s weather at a glance. No more, that’s gone. And there are now so many ads you have to search for true weather data. Definitely NOT an upgrade! Please take some of these ads off and restore the good home page.
  40. [R91] 2/5 · US Go back to the old style!!!: I have always loved this app, but this update is terrible. It’s focused around ads more than the weather and for the life of me I can’t even find where it shows the current temperature. All I can find is what the hourly forecast is. My opinion, but they took something that wasn’t broken and tried to fix it......and now it’s broke!

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store