Alpenglow turns 10
10 years ago, I released Alpenglow on the App Store. At the time, I just wanted a way to avoid missing great sunsets from the old Buffer office.
The first version was simple: inspired by #uksnow, people could submit ratings around sunrise or sunset, and those ratings would power alerts for others nearby. It worked… but only if enough people were using it.
I added sunrise, sunset, and magic hour times — something useful even if you were the only person using the app. Not long after, I integrated SunsetWX to bring in quality predictions.
That combination, times + quality, became the foundation of Alpenglow.
For years, the app was supported entirely through tips. It wasn't until September 2020 that I introduced subscriptions: monthly, yearly, and lifetime. Looking back, I probably waited too long to make that shift, but it marked a turning point, a commitment to keep building and improving the app long-term.
There have been some surreal moments along the way. A couple of viral TikToks (2M+ views), hitting #1 Top Free App in the App Store, sitting above apps with huge teams that I'd used for years. Moments that feel impossible when you're just quietly working on something on the side.
Not every year has been like that. 2025 was… quiet. Growth flattened, then slowly declined.
A few changes this year have started to turn things around, and with this new release, I'm hoping to build on that momentum.
After some downtime from SunsetWX in January, I shifted to using Alpenglow's own sunrise and sunset prediction model. It's something I'd been working on on and off for years, with help from people far more knowledgeable than me in the weather space.
Owning the model unlocks a lot. It means I can improve accuracy over time using field reports from users, and combine more weather and climate data in ways I couldn't before.
That's what powers v11.2, the 10-year anniversary release, and one of the biggest updates I've ever shipped.
For the first time:
- You can explore Forecast Maps to see where conditions are best
- Forecasts now extend to 7 days ahead, updated multiple times a day
- And there's a new foundation that unlocks features I've wanted to build for years
Hopefully, Alpenglow continues to help people not miss those sunrise and sunset moments. In a time where similar apps pop up every day, longevity and commitment are (hopefully) what set Alpenglow apart.
10 years in, it still feels like there's a lot more to do.
Here's to the next 10 years.