The air near you, right now.
True AQI shows the live air quality index at your nearest CPCB monitoring station, next to the official 24-hour average. Plus plain advice on whether to run, mask up or open the windows.
- CPCB monitoring stations
- India's National AQI scale
- Updated every hour
The question everyone asks
Why does my AQI app show a different number?
The official AQI is a 24-hour average. It's the right number for how the last day went, but it can lag hours behind the air outside your window. True AQI uses the latest hourly readings from the same CPCB stations, on the same Indian scale, and shows both.
What's in the app
Everything you need to decide, nothing you don't.
Vibe check
Plain advice for the live reading, so you know what to do today.
Live vs Official
The live AQI next to the official 24-hour average, and the gap between them in one plain sentence.
Nearest station first
The app opens on the monitoring station closest to you, with the time it last reported.
All Stations
Every station across India with its live AQI. Search by station, city or state, and filter by level.
Nerd stats
The last 24 hours, plus PM2.5, PM10, NO₂, O₃, CO and SO₂ against their CPCB limits.
Share card
A ready-made card with your city's air and the time of the reading, for any chat or story.
Meet Hawa
The AQI scale, at a glance.
Hawa is a cloud whose face follows the air: sunglasses when it's Good, a mask when it's Poor. One mood for each level of India's CPCB scale.
Clean air. A great day to be outside.
Fine for most people. Go as usual.
A bit polluted. Keep long outdoor hours short.
Unhealthy. Wear a mask outside and exercise indoors.
Very unhealthy. Stay indoors if you can.
Hazardous. Go out only if you must.
How it works
Three steps to the air outside.
Open the app
It finds the CPCB station nearest you. Or pick any station from the list.
See the live AQI
The latest hourly reading, next to the official 24-hour average.
Know what to do
Vibe check tells you about exercise, masks, windows and travel.
Questions
Questions people ask
Why does True AQI show a different number from the official AQI?
The official AQI in news and bulletins is a 24-hour average. True AQI uses the latest hourly readings from the same CPCB monitoring stations, on the same Indian scale, and shows both numbers side by side. Both are correct: one tells you how the last day was, the other how the air is now. Read the full comparison.
Where does the data come from?
From continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations in the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) network. Each station shows when it last reported, so you know how fresh the reading is.
Is it safe to go for a run today?
Open Vibe check in the app. It turns the live AQI into a plain call for exercise, masks, windows and travel, from "Great for a run" on clean days to "Work out indoors" when the air is poor.
Which cities does True AQI cover?
Every city with a CPCB monitoring station, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.
What do the AQI levels mean?
Good (0–50), Satisfactory (51–100), Moderate (101–200), Poor (201–300), Very Poor (301–400) and Severe (401 and above), as defined by CPCB. See the full AQI scale.
Why can the AQI go above 500?
CPCB's official scale stops at 500. Instead of capping the live reading, True AQI extends the same scale so you can see how far past Severe the air is. Anything above 400 is Severe either way, with the same advice. Why we don't cap at 500.
Does the app need my location?
Only to find your nearest station. You can pick any station from the list instead.
Learn
Understand the air you breathe.
CPCB's scale stops at 500. What a higher live reading means, and what to do.
Read more →PollutantsThe fine particles that matter most: sources, safe limits and what you can do.
Read more →BasicsThe six CPCB levels, the eight pollutants, and how one number is worked out.
Read more →Breathe a little easier.
Get the live AQI near you on iPhone and Android.