Welcome to Seek by iNaturalist!
Seek by iNaturalist is a fun, educational app that uses image recognition to help users identify plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms in real-time. Developed by the iNaturalist team and supported by leading scientific and conservation organizations, Seek is ideal for nature lovers of all ages. It encourages outdoor exploration while promoting biodiversity awareness through interactive learning, badges, and challenges—all without requiring an account or personal data. Download Seek by iNaturalist now!
Features of Seek by iNaturalist:
Real-Time Species Identification
Point your camera at any living organism—like a bird, flower, mushroom, or insect—and Seek instantly identifies it using AI-powered recognition trained on millions of observations from iNaturalist.org.
Location-Based Suggestions
The app shows you common species found in your general area, enhancing the chances of accurate identification and allowing you to discover local biodiversity.
Learning Through Badges and Challenges
Seek gamifies nature exploration by awarding badges for discovering different types of species (e.g., birds, reptiles, plants). It also features seasonal or themed challenges to motivate users to explore more.
Family-Friendly and Educational
Designed to be safe for kids and perfect for families, Seek turns a simple walk in the park into a discovery-filled learning session. It provides brief, engaging educational information about each species.
Privacy-First, No Account Required
No sign-up or login is required. The app does not collect personal data by default, and location access is generalized for privacy. If desired, users over 13 can link their iNaturalist account to contribute to citizen science.
Top 5 FAQs on Seek by iNaturalist:
1. Do I need an account to use Seek?
No. Seek is fully functional without registration. You can identify species, earn badges, and participate in challenges without ever logging in.
2. Is Seek safe for kids to use?
Yes. Seek is kid-safe and designed with privacy in mind. It collects no personal data unless a child signs in (which requires parental permission and age verification).
3. How does Seek identify species?
Seek uses machine learning based on millions of iNaturalist community submissions. It matches your live camera input with known organisms to identify them by species, genus, or family.
4. Does the app work without internet access?
Partially. You can identify organisms using cached data if previously loaded, but for full species lists and updates, you’ll need an internet connection.
5. Can I contribute to citizen science through Seek?
Yes, but only if you link an iNaturalist account. Observations are shared with the scientific community only when you choose to connect with iNaturalist and upload your findings.
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Version History
v2.17.1——11 Apr 2025
This update marks the first enhancement to the computer vision model since Seek’s inception. With this improvement, the app can now identify approximately 80,000 species, a significant increase from the previous 20,000. We hope this update enhances your experience and brings you greater satisfaction when using the app.
