I originally posted this elsewhere and was advised to post it here. This is my first forum post, so if this is in the wrong category or I’ve done something else wrong please kindly let me know and/or correct me :)
Since the new iNaturalist app has been out for a little while now, I figured I would share my takes on it as someone who uses iNaturalist almost every day as a hobbyist. I apologize if my language ever seems harsh/blunt; I’m trying to give unfiltered opinions, but I don’t want to discount the genuine work done by iNat developers. I appreciate y’all!
General opinions and current usage
The new app, in my opinion, is just not as sleek and easy-to-use the old one. True, the iNat Classic lacks many features of iNaturalist that I wish it would include, but as a quick on-the-go tool to complement its desktop site, it is still very useful. I like the simple design, no sorting through menus to find settings, no need for flashy UI.
What I DISLIKE about iNat Classic:
BUGS AND CRASHES: I often have issues with loading errors and app crashes that I wish would be fixed.
NO PROFILES: I wish I could view and update my profile, as well as view profiles of other users and/or search for users.
NO PERSONAL STATS: The only personal stat I see is my total number of observations. I would like the option to see the total species as well, and an option to load ALL of my observations onto the explore map, not just newer ones. I like to see the total accumulation of where I’ve been and what I’ve posted.
What I LIKE about the new iNaturalist app:
MORE FEATURES FROM WEBSITE: Functions more like a standard phone app, including more features from the website so we can access more parts of iNaturalist on the go.
UPLOADING MULTIPLE OBSERVATIONS: This is a great addition. It’s not perfect; I still would change the UI (I personally don’t like the big rounded tiles, they feel like design at the expense of utility)
Features I would change/add to the new iNaturalist app:
UI DESIGN: The new app just seems too clunky. I like that the old app can fit lots of observations in a list on my home page, all of which are clearly visible. In the new app, the default setting (tile layout) can only fit 6 observations on my screen. I love the simple and clear design of iNat classic.
EXPLORE PAGE: I use the explore page to find observations in a specific area, both to scout places I might want to visit and to see what my local iNat users have been posting. It appears that they fixed the common complaint about the explore page not being a map; it now opens to a map instead of whatever it was before (on my phone at least). But I still have some issues:
SEARCH BAR: In my opinion, if it’s a search page (which the explore page primarily functions as, imo) you should have a visible search bar at the top. It’s part of the core visual language of the internet at this point: if I want to search for something, I will be looking for a search bar, and I will be confused and frustrated if I cannot find one on the page. The Filter button is fine, but the search bar shouldn’t be hidden behind that menu. Even if it’s a filter menu that just looks like a search bar, I think that would be a better design choice.
MULTICOLORED PINS: All the pins on my app’s map are green. I would like the multicolored pins that indicate different categories of taxon, please.
REMOVE ‘REDO SEARCH’ BUTTON: This might just be me, idk how others feel about it. It also might be about programming or caches or something dev-related I don’t understand, so if that’s the case then I respect it. But to give my opinion as a user, I like that the old app automatically adjusted when I moved to a new spot on the map, even though it did glitch sometimes.
RECENT OBS VS. ALL TIME OBS: I like being able to see the total observations on the explore page, but when quickly checking the map to find out what’s currently being spotted, it’s just a bit too much. I’d like the default level of recency for displayed observations to be similar to the old app, with options in the Filter menu to show observations from the past month, year, etc. with the final option being All Time (or like, a slider or something). Just helps remove clutter from the map and gives me more relevant and recent information for my daily usage of the app.
LOCATION OF USER INFORMATION TAB: I really think it should be in the corner. Every other app and website puts the user profile link in a corner. I know iNat Classic has the ‘Me’ tab in the same spot, but Classic wasn’t trying to follow the design of a social media app the way the new one is (and frankly, I didn’t like that design choice very much in Classic either). I think it would be better to put the profile icon in the corner and the Activity tab to the left of it, so it matches most other social media apps we use.
UPLOADING OBSERVATIONS: I like being able to upload multiple observations, but I do have some concerns:
MAP: I wish the map would default to satellite view. I already have to select the “go to my current location” button for every observation because my camera does not collect location data, so having to select satellite view as well every time just adds tedium. And the UI is, in my opinion, cluttered and distracting compared to the simple centered gridlines from Classic. I also can’t rotate the map… please let me rotate the map!
UNNECESSARY “AI” BUZZWORD: This is probably a huge nitpick, so take with a grain of salt. I know AI is trending, and the old app used AI to identify organisms too. But seeing “AI” advertised everywhere, included places it was already implemented before this tech trend took over, is exhausting as a user and comes off kinda tacky imo. But it just gives me the “ick” to see “ID with AI” when it’s not necessary to say, and the previous app didn’t need to use the Trendy-Word-Of-The-Year to be useful and appreciated. Something like “auto detect” would be a better choice imo, or combine it into one menu with the search function like Classic did.
IPAD COMPATIBILITY: I can use iNat Classic on both my iPhone and iPad and they fit the screen nicely. The new app does not seem have iPad usage in mind, so the UI and user experience is all off. I primarily use my iPad to upload observations, because I edit my photos there.
Overall, I still use iNat Classic pretty much exclusively. It’s just quick and easy, no clutter, no aesthetic design choices at the expense of utility. I can cope with some bugs here and there; it’s still easier and more pleasant for me to use than the new app in its current state.
But again, I really appreciate the iNat developers for constantly trying to improve the user experience. I intentionally waited until the app had been out for a while before giving my opinions, as I didn’t want to be a cranky ungrateful user who just hates change. Enough time has passed that I feel like I can make a more confident decision on which app I prefer to use, and as of now, that choice remains with iNat Classic.
I haven’t used the new app a ton since I mostly use the computer/webpage to upload observations so I might just not know all the tricks yet. I don’t like how it doesn’t let you add multiple photos to an observation initially. You have to go into edit to add additional photos. I also don’t like how it automatically puts what the computer vision thinks it is as an ID if it has high confidence. Again, you have to go into edit to change it. For both of those issues, I liked the classic version better.
I’m trying to use the new one as much as possible, forcing the old dog into new tricks.
I often use Classic for ease. I prefer it, not just out of habit. I can add to projects when I upload, so I don’t have to remember when I’m on the website ( also through my iPhone) to enter my attributions.
Both projects and attributions would great to have in new app.
I can’t tell RG or not on the new app’s chunky thumbnails. I’m mixed on those, easier to see but too few at a time. I have caught on to the decoding of the symbols in list.
I don’t like how following links on the forum first dumps into my account on the app. I want to see the link, not my thumbnails.
I feel the same as you. That’s why I waited a few months before giving my opinions. I tend to be instinctively opposed to change, so I’ve been deliberately trying to become accustomed to the new app. However, it still just doesn’t suit my needs, and I prefer the old app despite its flaws and bugs.
MUCH easier to use to make identifications for others
What I like about the old app:
adding observations to projects
the link to “more information on inaturalist.org” for suggested IDs
I’m not sure that I prefer one over the other right now. I seem to end up creating observations in the new app, then reviewing them in the old.. not ideal!
Understatement i would say. It crashes enough it is the only app i have that i recieve warnings about it. Which these warnings are not uncommon for me.
I only use the old app for audio observations since it takes a little longer for it to load on the new app. Also the new app likes to crash when I type in observation notes
I always try to be open minded about website and app redesigns even if I don’t like them at first. But I went back to iNat Classic after trying the new app for a month. It seemed to be way too many clicks for me to upload observations, and I found myself not engaging with it as much. It felt more like a chore. I also have a strong preference for leaving my IDs at the genus level until I can get home to a computer and my library of field guides to confirm for myself. Learning is a primary reason I use iNat, and letting the CV ID everything is no fun for me. Just my PERSONAL opinion. I just finished a trip where I made 130+ observations while on the go, and I think iNat Classic is just way faster than the new app.
A main issue with the new app that I’ve noticed that isn’t mentioned here is how you can’t choose the cover photo for observations. This forces me to find the photo I like best while in the observation grouping menu, where I can’t even see the photos that well. As is with any media, choosing the best cover photo is important to draw people in. I typically have one that is of better quality than the others in an observation.
For me, it works to press and hold on the photos then drag to change the order in the new app. You have to be in edit mode on the observation for this to work.
-when doing single observation, you can’t change the location before uploading. The button doesn’t work.
-Uploads fails too much. I have to ‘sync’ 3x for a single or bulk observation upload to go. And I’m not closing the app during the upload. Why can’t the app run in the background and upload if I already did the commands?
-Still without phenology annotations (already clarified: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/is-there-any-plan-for-annotations-on-apps/66567)
-Without ‘journals’.
no Projects shortcuts on sidebar.
no identify page to help identifiers.
no push notifications (this was already clarified and more involves costs etc, but it’s a dream function)
Since I only use the app to get my phone photos submitted I find the classic version much simpler for that purpose. But I haven’t spent much time st all trying to learn the new app.
My biggest issue with the new app is the location information it attaches to the observations. It often uses just the nearest major road or city name rather than the name of the nature area, park, etc. Sometimes it uses a trail name, but other times it just shows a city or road.
It’s something we’ve toyed with, for sure. What kind of things would you want to use the search bar for? Would you want it to be similar to the header search on the website?
FWIW this is how Explore in Android has worked for years. There are so many observations that it would be difficult to dynamically load them as you move the map, I believe. That could be alleviated by only showing recent obs like the iNat Classic, but then you’d be missing out on a lot of obs. I don’t think there’s a great solution either way without maybe using more filters by default.
Just added an issue that should make this part of the already “sticky” map tiles preferences for the maps in the rest of the app. So once you choose map or satellite on one map, the app will show those tiles on all maps until you change that tile preference again.
Do you mean “annotations” instead of “attributions”?
I assume you’re talking about the grid view? That view’s supposed to emphasize pictures, list view emphasizes more information. So I don’t think we’ll add more info to photos in grid view.
It’s still available but hidden. Tap on the three dots on the taxon page and you’ll see an option to open in browser.
If you switch to Advanced Mode, you can search for taxa for your IDs.
Also, since I hate typing on my phone, I like to use the suggestions as a jumping-off point for adding a coarser ID with just a few taps. I find it easier than searching, but your mileage may vary.
Tap on the “i” on any suggestion to go to its taxon page:
