Top mobile apps to measure air quality in India

A big name in the air quality game is Plume. It has a lot of features that go hand-in-hand with AirVisual but one key difference — that the app claims to be your ‘device companion’.

So depending on the air quality level, it can recommend what kind of activity makes the most sense from cycling to taking a stroll to the nearest restaurant.

AirVisual is one of the most popular apps to track air quality. It has data on over 10,000 cities and is packed with features to view air quality in a different way.

For instance, you can get a 7-day air pollution forecast on the app or you can pull an interactive 3D map.

Aside from just displaying the air quality, it also gives out information on how you can reduce your risk to pollution related diseases. And — in case you already have lung problems — how to cope in an environment where air quality is getting lower by the day.

The best part is that even if English isn’t your first language, the app can give you all this information in 9 other languages.

This air quality monitoring app was developed in India, keeping Indian cities in mind. Three students from Bharti Vidyapeeth College of Engineering launched the mobile last year and it has a unique approach to calculating air quality.

Most apps use your phone’s location data to figure out where the closest air monitoring tower is and relay data from there. Air Cognizer, on the other hand, wants users to take a picture of the sky.

The app’s machine learning (ML) software then estimates the AQI in the area using supporting data.

The new kid on the block, AQI India’s mobile app was only launched in January earlier this year. It lays out India’s map with all the major cities highlighted and their respective pollution levels.

AQI India claims that all the readings are real-time.

Other than that, it functions like most other air quality monitoring apps where you can see the data over 24-hours or 7-days. It also issues advice on which activities will be most suitable to minimise exposure to pollution.

But be warned, the nascent app can sometimes act little glitchy.