The Local Haze team has been busy in 2025, and we look forward to 2026!
As 2025 comes to a close, we’re grateful for the growing community of citizen scientists and air quality enthusiasts who’ve made this year remarkable. In addition to expanding Local Haze’s capability to deliver crowdsourced air quality data to users across 175 countries, we have released some exciting new features. In this post, we report on our top news regarding Local Haze, including the launch of the Local Haze Watch App, integration with AirGradient, the end of the US Department of State air quality monitoring system, and our press and media updates.
We launched the Local Haze Apple Watch app!
In the past year, we launched our Apple Watch app, bringing hyperlocal air quality data right to your wrist. Now you can check the air around you at a glance, whether you’re heading out for a run, planning outdoor activities, or simply want to know if it’s safe to open your windows. (Press Release)
An exciting Integration with AirGradient
We’ve also continued expanding our network to include tens of thousands of sensors across six continents. In June of 2025 we were excited to welcome AirGradient sensors to the Local Haze platform (Press Release).
What began as a volunteer response to wildfire smoke in Northern Thailand has evolved into something remarkable: AirGradient now stands as a leader in open, transparent air quality monitoring. Their innovation runs deeper than specifications – it’s embedded in UV-resistant enclosures engineered to endure, interfaces that scale from hobbyist to expert, and a design philosophy that chooses repair over disposal. Their commitment to innovation shines through in thoughtful design choices, from UV-resistant enclosures that last years to layered complexity that serves both technical enthusiasts and everyday users. What truly sets them apart is their dedication to community: offering educational DIY kits that teach users how monitors work, designing for repairability rather than replacement, and incentivizing open data sharing even as they expand into professional-grade equipment. AirGradient has built more than monitors – they’ve built tools that put citizens, researchers, and communities in control of understanding and protecting their air.
During the year we had the opportunity to speak with the AirGradient team about what makes their approach unique and published a two part blog interview, which you can read here: (Part 1) and (Part 2).
When Data Goes Dark: The End of US Embassy Air Monitoring
We did experience some challenges related to Local Haze in March 2025, when we announced the loss of a critical data source: air quality monitoring from US Embassies worldwide was discontinued by the US Department of State. For years, this program provided accurate, real-time air quality measurements that were instrumental to transparency and public health efforts globally, and its shutdown represented a significant setback for environmental monitoring initiatives. Despite this loss, the Local Haze app continues to monitor air quality from over 32,000 civic and low-cost sensors across six continents, remaining a vital tool for tracking air pollution worldwide.
Sharing the Local Haze mission
We’ve also been honored to share our mission with communities through talks at organizations like AARP and many private speaking engagements and “Lunch & Learn” events, empowering more people to understand and monitor the air they breathe.
Local Haze press and media
Some of the press that Local Haze has received in 2025 includes an article about wildfire smoke impacts in the respected Toronto newspaper “the bridge” and an AirGradient blog post about the origin of Local Haze. We also launched Local Haze accounts for BlueSky and Mastodon. For more information on Local Haze press and media, visit the newly updated Local Haze press page.
Powered by Community
None of what we have accomplished in the last year would be possible without the incredible network of community scientists contributing data and organizations including AirGradient, PurpleAir, AirNow, Sensor.Community and uRADMonitor, who share our commitment to open data and accessible air quality monitoring. The table below shows all data sources monitored by Local Haze and the number of countries for each, as of the end of December 2025.
Here’s to cleaner air and healthier communities in 2026. Thank you for being part of this journey.
| Data Source | # Sites | # Countries |
|---|---|---|
| AirGradient | 2025 | 76 |
| AirNow | 1433 | 9 |
| PurpleAir | 18220 | 101 |
| Sensor.Community | 9838 | 69 |
| uRADMonitor | 517 | 36 |
| TOTAL | 32033 | 121 |
Download Local Haze on the App Store
Download Local Haze for free on the App Store and join thousands of people monitoring their local air quality: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/local-haze/id1278998405