IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality

I have lived in China for 3 years and have a two-year old boy. Once he was born I became more interested in what all the AQI apps actually did and started researching them. AirVisual is by far the best one I have come across (having used 10+ different apps). Not only can you choose to use the US index (which I would highly recommend) you also can see which pollutants are contaminating the atmosphere at any given time. I also have a laser egg (also highly recommended) which is a portable particulate counter and the readings on my mobile device and the closest monitoring station on the app are always within +/-20 meaning they are not contradicting each other. On other apps there would often times be a 50 point+ difference between what my particulate counter read and the other random apps I was using. Also, do note that some apps do, like airvisual, have the different pollutants listed and their levels but airvisual is the only app I have found that combines that with the ability to choose the US AQI standard. My go-to app when it comes to air pollution.

This free app can help you with information and forecasting of the air quality in your area. Since the 1970’s I’ve been personally interested in my home environment mainly because 3 of my family members, my husband & 2 children have hay fever in the Spring. We installed an electronic air filter in our furnace and air conditioning system which seemed to help immensely. Fat forward another 30+ years when we discovered the AirVisual app & their small device that could monitor our indoor air quality. Yes, using an AirVisual device is an easy way to monitor and improve your own air quality in your home. I discovered that NOT opening the windows to bring in a little fresh air was bad for us. Our carbon dioxide CO2 levels were getting in a higher range and causing headaches and lethargic behaviors. Being retired and at home most of the time, this became even more important to monitor our indoor AQI. Thank you AirVisual for providing the tools and information for a healthier lifestyle. 🥰

It is only just beginning to seep into the public domain how catastrophically harmful poor quality air can be. It can irritate you, hurt your head and your heart, kill you or cause dementia. Checking air quality before engaging in outdoor work is vital especially in summer months. This is a simple but well-designed app that will display pollution levels and warnings for whichever monitoring stations you select. It can also provide notifications of changes in air quality. I have not yet come across intrusive tracking, data collection or advertising; it's not necessary to create an account to use it. I check it before working outside just as I check the (standard) weather forecast. Perhaps if we use products like these we'll come to see how we are, without exaggeration, poisoning ourselves. Highly recommended.

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While current local condition air quality seemed accurate, the forecast data, even just a few hours ahead, was completely wrong. I live in Oregon and we had horrible air quality last summer, in the unhealthy range repeatedly, even crossing into hazardous at times. With many wildfires burning across our region, we are all jumpy in fear of a repeat. For some reason, despite consistently good air this year, the app predicts unhealthy air 4 hours in the future every single day. During the first week I cancelled a number of recreational and outdoor activity plans based on these predictions. I am especially peeved about one of these cancellations, something that I really wanted to do and lost some reservation money. I followed the site for another week—same thing every day. I know air patterns and fire conditions can change rapidly but AirVisual was never correct. The forecast ability was the main draw for me so I deleted AirVisual and swapped it out for an app with a very simple design, just current AQ numbers in bubbles on a map, easy to navigate around a region.

I use this app to help prepare for bad air conditions, since I live in the PNW and the wildfire smoke aggravates my asthma. The statistical information and maps are really interesting and informative and the app itself is easy to use, but now I'm concerned that the information I'm getting is not accurate. There is currently an air advisory due to smoke in my area. For some reason, this app is insisting that the AQI is "Good" despite the fact that I can actually see pollution in the air. I'm not sure if this is really the app's fault or the fault of wherever the information is being sourced from, but regardless, I don't think I can rely on the information I'm being given to help me make informed decisions about my health anymore. It's unfortunate since I was really excited to find an app like this in the first place. If you decide to download it anyway, please be cautious and don't use it as your only source of information.