How do iNat website, iOS, and Android differ in showing notifications?

[brian_d]

The website version of iNat shows more kinds of notifications than either the iOS or Android app version. How do the three differ in content specifically? Does iOS only show activity from a user’s own observations, but Android also shows activity from others’ observations which the user identified or commented on?

Originally from a discussion quoted below:

@pisum

in the Android app, and I believe the iOS app, too, the Activity feeds will allow you to easily find new and old updates to observations you’re following due to identifications and comments.

it won’t show other notifications like mentions, faves, flags, etc., but if you’re just interested in identifications and comments, then that’s a good way to get them in one spot once the BOJ has expired, without having to dig through everything else that pops up on the website home page.

if you don’t have a smartphone or prefer seeing this kind of information on a larger screen, then i made something a couple of weeks ago which may be helpful (at least until notifications have been revamped). see: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-open-all-notifications/25913/35 .

[pisum]

just to clarify:

• from what I can gather, the Activity Feed in the Android app will give you notifications related to identifications and comments that occur on observations that you’re following (which usually means your own observations and observations you’ve made identifications or comments on). in the Android app, the Feed is divided into separate tabs for your own observations and observations by others. i’m not sure how the feed is organized in the iOS app.
• since i’m not actually following anyone and not a member of any projects on iNat, i’m not sure (but i doubt) that the Android app will give you notifications for activity related to people and projects you follow. i’m pretty sure it doesn’t provide a feed of activity related to taxa or places that you’re following. (i believe these kinds of activity will show up only in the website dashboard.)

[brian_d]

Okay, I’m still trying to learn more about iOS too because I use it. On iOS there’s only one notifications tab in Activity, which is called My Content. I’m unsure but didn’t think that shows any observations by others which I’ve made identifications or comments on. Can anyone confirm it doesn’t?

[arboretum_amy]

@pisum

i’m not sure (but i doubt) that the Android app will give you notifications for activity related to people and projects you follow

Project journal updates and the iNat blog comprise their own tab. So there’s three tabs: your observations (“my content”), observations of others (“following”), and project journals/blog (“news”). I think news may include journal posts of individuals too but I have never had the chance to see that.

[arboretum_amy]

@pisum

i’m pretty sure it doesn’t provide a feed of activity related to taxa or places that you’re following

Correct.

[pisum]

@brian_d

On iOS there’s only one notifications tab in Activity, which is called My Content. I’m unsure but didn’t think that shows any observations by others which I’ve made identifications or comments on.

based on this conversation: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/whats-your-personal-record-for-of-header-notifications/3935/11, it does seem like the iOS app only provides a feed of activity related to your own observations.

[brian_d]

Okay, that’s what I was thinking it was.

[kuchipatchis]

wow, i had no idea. ive only used the iOS version of the app, i had no idea that android gave you notifications about things that arent your own. knowing this and that you can upload audio from android, i think thats probably the superior version as far as features go hands down (i know you can finally make audio observations on iOS but i mean being able to upload audio not taken in the app, which i prefer)

[jwidness]

Keep in mind that the long term plan is to add all the Android features into the iOS version.

[teellbee]

A fairly recent addition to IOS app is to record a sound as an observation ~within the app~ only.

I do not think you can upload any sounds recorded outside of the iNat app; eg, Voice Memo or video). So, the iOS audio feature is a limited utility…

[kuchipatchis]

its so easy to accidentally delete the observation with audio and lose the audio altogether when recording in-app its a wonder i havent accidentally uploaded audio of me saying expletives

[teellbee]

Yah, so far, I just cannot get a useable audio recording in the iOS app. I always need to trim the audio or it’s excruciatingly long for listeners to hear the important bit (worse than an uncropped and not centered photo).

Because it’s really hard to upload OBs using an iPhone on the website, I have a cumbersome workflow for audio.

1. • I use Voice Memo to record the sound.
2. • Then, i take a pic of the site with iPhoto (just to get location and time).
3. • I upload that pic using iNat iOS app.
4. • Then, on the website, I add the audio. And (hopefully) a note that the photo only shows the setting, not the subject.

[kuchipatchis]

yup, same exact process. record, crop, take the pic (but i then upload the pic and then delete it, making an empty observation and comment “audio soon”), email audio to myself, download the audio from my email, then edit the empty observation with the sound