Support "fuzzy" or "close match" search results in app

Feature Requests
1

In the spellcheck era, us users often times aren’t the best at spelling. I’ve noticed on the iOS app that only exact string matches are returned (similar to how a ctrl+f search works on websites).

It’d be nice if the search would return close matches. For example (and I would never lol), if I searched “swalow” it would be nice if “swallow” records were returned.

I want to note that I do see some similar requests relating to supporting “exact matches only” on the web app, so I’m assuming there will be some debate about this one. I think supporting ‘search for exact matches with quotations’ could possibly help with that. https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/implement-exact-matches-in-header-search/8606

2

Welcome to the forum!

3

I totally agree. There have been at least three times when I’ve entered a taxon for an observation and been told it doesn’t exist, when in fact there was a disagreement between authorities. e.g. brunifolia (what all horticulturalists use) and bruniifolia (iNat). Google wouldn’t have wasted a second before replying, “did you mean …?”

2 Likes
4

Welcome to the forum @johnsankey!