Use this category to post new feature requests for iNaturalist, and to vote for existing feature requests.
Requests
To make a feature request, start a new topic with the request as the topic’s title. Please take a minute to search for existing requests before creating a new one. In order to eliminate duplicate requests, new topics must be approved by a moderator before they are made public.
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Only one feature request is allowed per topic.
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No more than two or three requests per week, please.
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Take some time to describe not only your request, but why you believe it will improve iNaturalist. Citing specific situations or examples (with URLs and screenshots if possible) is helpful.
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Please use an action verb in the topic title. So rather than just “Extraterrestrial Observations” you should write “Allow Extraterrestrial Observations on iNaturalist”.
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Please take a look at the iNaturalist team’s broad agenda for 2019 here. We are likely to not implement any large changes that are not already on that agenda until next year, so it would be best if you started a brainstorming topic in General rather than make a Feature Request.
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If you have a specific idea for one of those large items on the agenda, don’t make a Feature Request. Instead, either add it to an already existing relevant topic, like Notifications on iNaturalist - Please Share Your Ideas! or start a new topic in General.
Votes
If you like a feature that is being requested, you can vote for it to show your endorsement. The vote button can be found at the top the topic’s page:
Each user has a limited number of active votes (with a maximum of ten), and that number is dependent upon the user’s trust level. You can only vote “for” a topic, there is no downvoting. Once an administrator has closed a topic for which you have voted, you will be able to use that vote for another topic. Topics will not be closed unless a) the request has been implemented as fully as it is going to be or b) staff have decided we will not be implementing that request.
With a limited number of votes, this means you should be voting for the features you think are most important to have. You can manage your current votes via your profile page, or remove a vote from a topic by clicking on the “Voted” button at the top.
Votes will be used to gauge community interest for feature requests. iNaturalist staff have the final say as to whether a feature will be implemented.