IDs getting auto-filled (instead of just suggesting)

Bug Reports
1

[I’m not sure if this is a bug or a new feature]

I’m using iNat in my desktop web browser. Earlier, the IDs for new uploads would pop up as suggestions when I clicked on the ID box and waited. For the past few weeks, the box is getting auto-filled for some or all observations. It’s not stopping at suggestions, and is not asking me before entering the IDs.

I personally do not use auto-ID at all, so I overwrite the IDs manually anyway. But for new users, or users who aren’t inclined/accustomed to identifying their own observations, I see this as quite a problem. Sometimes the auto-ID is way off (which is fine - my point is just that it shouldn’t be thrust upon an upload). The positive flip side, I guess, is that nothing will go up as blank. In the worst case, it’ll be way off and the respective taxon subscribers/curators will catch it.

However, I still see this as something that will hamper a newcomer’s usage of iNat, and discourage them from checking out the suggested IDs by just filling it in for them without any notification. I don’t see why it shouldn’t be left as a suggestion rather than an auto-fill.

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2

It’s a new feature. The issues are in this topic
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/add-observation-automatically-tagged-my-observations/8203/18

Many things still go in blank, because the ID only happens if the file name matches to a taxa name. Unfortunately sometimes that match is not appropriate.

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3

I’m with ajamalabad, in fact, I find the AI automatically inserting an ID is really lengthening the amount of work I do to upload observations. The feature I’d really like to see is to be able to disable this automatic ID, as it irks me bigtime.

1 Like
4

Overnight someone has disabled this AutoID feature for my account. A heartfelt thanks. For each user to do so would of course be optimal?

1 Like