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INaturalist App Complaints & User Negative Comments 2024
INaturalist app received 35 complaints, negative comments and reviews by users. Have you ever had a bad experience using INaturalist? Can you share your negative thoughts about inaturalist?
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INaturalist for Negative User Reviews
✓ Missing FeaturesThe website version of iNaturalist beats out the app in every category but aesthetics. There are far fewer options to make specific searches, and you can’t provide much info on your observations. You also can’t view user profiles. That being said, it’s still a functioning app with some great features, so it’s worth getting if you don’t like the website interface. Please add more features to the app!.Version: 3.2.6
✓ It would be great if it worked!Took several repeat pictures of a caterpillar. OK it gave the moth or butterfly once or twice but also suggested it may be a squirrel of some type! Really? One to delete. Maybe not for Australia as we all know the world ends on the shores of the USA..Version: 2.7.5
✓ Love this app but...I LOVE this app so very very much. It’s a necessary tool in the world we live in and makes logging a breeze - almost. The problem comes with the location tags. I often take my photos in locations where there is no cell/gps/data service. So my solution to that is to take photos and then upload from my phone later when I am on WiFi at home. However, I can’t simply type in an address, coordinates, or anything on the location map to automatically find the location of the plants. I have to literally scroll through the map of the entire world and find the point on it to zoom in where I took the photos. This is a tedious task, especially when I’ll take a dozen photos in a location. I’ve resorted to putting coordinates in the description for now, but I know that won’t be accepted for research grade. Is there any way to fix this or plans to make this process easier in the future?.Version: 2.8.7
✓ Where are the ID helpers?This app came highly recommended to me from staff at our local Botanic Gardens. I loved it right away and was mostly attracted to the promise of a community engagement where users help other users ID plants. But I find it very odd that someone helped me ID a plant within 1 hour of me using the app, and no one has helped me since then (almost 3 weeks and I’ve only posted 11 photos). So I cannot give this app more than 2 stars because the whole reason I was interested in it seems to be an empty promise. I now have to try to ID plants by comparing them to other plant pictures (I didn’t need this app for that — I was already doing that with basic goggle searches and other resources (and let me tell you it is a tedious, time-consuming process) or get no ID at all (making the app pointless for me). At this point I’ll likely delete the app soon. Very disappointed..Version: 2.7.17
✓ Needs workHas a lot of potential but there are just a few quality of life things that need to be added like being able to look at other peoples profiles.Version: 3.0.6
✓ It’s okay :/Another “woke” app that prioritises indigenous names over official names..Version: 3.2.5
✓ Won’t connectI signed up with my Facebook. But when I try signing in it tells me that the app isn’t available through Facebook and has to be reactivated by the developer. When I go on the website and enter my username it says my email isn’t registered and tries to get me to make a new account. I have years of submissions with my original account and don’t want to lose it because I can’t sign in with Facebook now..Version: 3.2.6
✓ Nature Nazi’sI loved the app for all the reasons noted in the other reviews. I used it for about a year and was enjoying contributing to the documentation of wildlife in my area. When I had an observation and couldn’t capture a picture it made sense to use the picture they provided in the identification process. Well I did that for 3 or 4 observations and they sat there for months. Then one day some lady starts leaving condescending comments on those posts that I can’t do that and that she was going to report me. Which she did. And they wrote me more elitist condescending comments. AND I am pretty sure they deleted one of my own photos…they don’t deserve it anyway. I’m sure they took my photos and observation data to use for their own benefits. So sign up but beware your working unpaid for ungrateful condescending elitist academics. This is why the massive social potential of the app goes right by them unnoticed. They have no social clues and they don’t care what the users want as long as they post content for them to steal..Version: 3.2.1
✓ A bit glitchyGlitches on sign up and when geo locating. Also a few functions are hard to identify as a newcomer. Hopefully this will resolve itself..Version: 3.2.6
✓ OkayApp is good but wish it had the same features it has on the desktop version..Version: 2.7.18
✓ Great idea, but on the decline.Don’t get me wrong, i love this app and have used it for a while. I just don’t understand why they have removed so many features over the last few years? Some of my favorite parts used to be browsing animal or plant families and being able to jump around from species to species and all the way up to the kingdom level - now for some reason none of that is possible. You can’t access any phylogeny info from a species page without going to the website, and i’m not sure why. Same thing with the more social aspect of the app - i used to enjoy looking at my friends’ and other local’s pages to see what they’ve been finding recently, but now that is not possible either. You can’t view any profiles on the app at all. I thought they had introduced “seek” as a more beginner-friendly app, so it seems strange that theyve been breaking down this app to it’s bare bones state as well..Version: 3.2.6
✓ Great Kereru countApp hard to use on iPad. Trying to record observations with partial success. Would love to use it more..Version: 2.6.1
✓ Can’t get the app to function properlySubmitted a photo in the observation for identification and the “wheel” has been turning for well over an hour…..Version: 3.2.5
✓ Account doesn’t workAccount creation is absolute dog.Version: 3.2.6
✓ Some SuggestionsIt's a great app. Basically what it is is its a community of nature lovers sharing their observations and identifying species of plants٫ reptiles٫ mammals٫ birds٫ insects٫ and even fungi and arthropods. I do have a couple suggestions. First is the one I want in the app the most and its instead of just being able to send a photo or audio clip٫ but also being able to show a video of the organism. Second is to be able to click on someone's name or profile picture and see all their observations. Third and this is more of a complaint but I wish it wouldn't try to get you to upload every observation. It changes your profile picture to an upload button if you have observations you didnt post. The results when identifying a species are kinda accurate٫ im no biologist but I know for sure that a bush is not a rabbit. Something like that only happened to me once٫ and it was when I was trying to identify a bush and the app suggested a rabbit. The identification system isn't terrible though٫ it comes up with pretty accurate results. Once again٫ I am not a biologist٫ but I can tell by comparing the results to the picture..Version: 3.2.5
✓ Update does not workI can’t open my app on iPad….Version: 3.2.8
✓ I’ve been using this app for yearsI’ve been using this app to keep track of all of my insect & plant observations locally. 213 observations to date. Unfortunately, over the years, I’ve had to deal with a lot of local misogynists & racially insensitive comments on my own page along with my observations showing up as blanks as of this morning. I finally reported this to the admin today after being harassed about an insect post comment from over a year ago this morning. I was told via email, that I can only block 3 people within this app (which I couldn’t today, because I already tried this morning) and in the response email, it was even admitted that their admin may come off as condescending due to language issues. Okay, we’ll since I am multi-lingual, I found that response from, “Tony”, who assumed I only speak American English, to be odd. If they know that language is an issue for a given person, then update the app & list people’s preferred language(s) on each of their pages. The app has on multiple occasions given me wrong identifications due to scientific names versus nicknames for any given observation (queue the misogynist responses) & I’m fairly certain languages tie into that. There is also what I call coded language in many of the comments in this app. I would probably be very cautious in letting children use this app with all the adult men that clearly use the app for more than observations..Version: 3.2.5
✓ UnsureThis was recommended to me and I know I only joined half an hour ago or so, would be nice if I could contact for help. Some photos I added it doesn’t recognise the location but will take me to a map where I can choose a location but I cant add the location. Photos say “unknown” so you don’t get an immediate ID as some apps do.Version: 3.2.5
✓ Uploading observationsINaturalist doesn’t recognise date or geolocation of photos from iPhone photo library. So making it too laborious to try to find date and location of photo to make it worthwhile. When on travels with no internet you cannot add observations as you see them , they have to be loaded later from photo library. Without the date and geolocation details being uploaded automatically it’s not worth doing..Version: 2.8.2
✓ JillyPThis is the most confusing and downright irritating app I have ever used. I would like to record Kereru sightings but it is IMPOSSIBLE..Version: 2.6.1
✓ Allow access to selected photosMy settings for this app only allow access to selected photos. However, the app might have some glitches that can access all photos. I have no problems with other apps, just this one. So I suppose the app is faulty. Please fix!.Version: 3.2.5
✓ User beware — latest edition violates App Store privacy rulesVery disappointed to see what’s become of iNaturalist. The latest edition requires users to consent to tracking and data harvesting which is in violation of Apple’s App Store privacy rules (as well as in violation of any reasonable respect of users). I can only assume that the group behind this app and service has sold out to corporate interests. Deleting the app from my device and closing my account..Version: 3.2.11
✓ INaturalist app is not working.Shortly after confirming email with INaturalist the app crashes, or kicks me out instantly..Version: 3.2.12
✓ No longer uploadingApp stopped uploading. I hit upload, it syncs then goes back to “1 Observation to upload”..Version: 3.2.15
✓ Redesign is overdueIt’s a good community but the app itself is very dated in 2024. Basic features of the desktop website are not available in the mobile app..Version: 3.3.2
✓ Updated and not very good any longerI’m completely blind but I don’t let that stop me from doing the things I love such as gardening. This app was pretty darn useful and accessible using my iPhone screen reader, and although it rarely correctly identified the plant right off the bat, it would most times previous to about April 2021 give me the correct suggestion in a list of possibilities. I am really, really disliking the updated System as there are far, far fewer suggestions even when I go turn off the “nearby“ switch (which I seem to have to do with every single observation). Along with that, the things it does suggest are laughably far from correct; no, the iris I’m taking a picture of is not a toad of any species, nor is it a blue land crab,, nor also “magic mushroom“ (I kid you not, that was the title of a suggestion and yes, it was the psilocybin )trip( variety of mushrooms per the species name to that title). Basically, this used to be really good and I would happily pay for what it used to be, but certainly wouldn’t pay for what it is now..Version: 3.2
✓ Toxic communityI have never participated in a more demeaning aggressive toxic and all around negative community in my life I contributed for over a year to have 90% of my observations i know a correct be altered to something it’s clearly not by an aggressive community who it seems wants to show off their inability to identify animals. I proved this by legitimately taking a picture of a painting of a grey heron and the community gave me all sorts of negative comments saying i had no business identifying animals because its obviously a great blue heron till i reposted the picture with the title show of grey heron. And i said that i cant participate in this toxicity anymore. Not worth the time. Good concept bad execution..Version: 3.2.13
✓ Crashing when reading notifications.I adore this app and the functions but it does keep crashing and shutting down whenever I open any notifications and that’s incredibly frustrating..Version: 3.2.10
✓ Very frustratingThe app keeps crashing and won't use existing photos..Version: 2.6.17
✓ Sadly it’s way too buggyI really wanted to like this app. Unfortunately the irritations started the moment I installed it. First, developers should disclose mandatory login requirements. Most app users are like me: I’m not keen on setting myself up for a spam storm until I’ve had a chance to determine if a new app is useful. This app appears to be virtually non-functional if you skip the login step. Then the error message start. LOTS of them one after another, and they’re the classic head-scratcher sort that make the user feel stupid because you have no idea what they mean or what to do to stop them. Five minutes of this was my limit. This app sounds like a nice idea, and the well-done illustrations featured in the App Store and the splash screens fooled me into thinking the app was designed by an experienced developer. It’s not. The user experience is just no good. Please hire a good UX designer and try again. You’ll likely find that 10x more people who download the app will continue to actually use it if you improve the UX. The concept is good. However as it stands it goes straight to “Delete”..Version: 2.7.6
✓ Privacy concernsVery disappointed to find I can no longer use this app unless I agree to my personal info going to the US..Version: 3.2.11
✓ Too many “experts” being disrespectfulTired of being talked down to by “experts”. Having people from the southern U.S. correct me about breeding and migration times ir bird abundance for central Ontario based on their local experience is just one example..Version: 3.2
✓ GPS nagsGave it another shot recently. Glad to see login requirements are relaxed. Identification suggestions are surprisingly good at narrowing down possibilities if you’re not sure what you’re looking at, though I’d be hesitant to rely on them as the final word of course. One thing which would be useful in the Suggestions section is the ability to flip between your photo(s) and those of the suggestions for easier comparison. Access to dichotomous keys would be cool too, or at least inclusion of identifying features which would appear in the keys. It’d also be worth considering inclusion of brief warnings on important aspects such as toxicity. UI could do with streamlining as well, but I’ll hold off on going into that for now. Original complaint over Location Services still relevant though—it doesn’t seem to have a way to enter your location manually as the dev said would be done in an update. It’s also baffling why the app wants to use LS while using the Suggestions tool when it already has locations set for each photo; there’s no reason to assume a user will be searching for suggestions anywhere near where the data was gathered, so it’s asinine to do this. Or shady. Original review, April 2017: As others point out, the app is set up to rely on location services being on. Nope! Not doing it, guys. This also makes it tedious to explore areas you're not currently in. Deleting this nagware..Version: 2.7.9
✓ Not working in CanadaI tried to access the Canadian version when prompted but then it does not work. And app will not allow me to enter a username or email. Very strange..Version: 3.2.6
✓ Am unable to make accountLike some other users cannot create an account, says my email address has already been taken and won’t let me use any name I come up with!.Version: 3.2.6
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