Seek by iNaturalist in IOS

Identify plants & animals

Walkthrough, Guilds, Tips on this special game

Our Site Score

95/100

While Seek isn't a 'game' in the traditional sense, it uses gamification to create one of the most rewarding educational experiences on the App Store. It effectively turns a simple walk in the park into a high-tech treasure hunt. The way the AI identifies a plant or bug in real-time feels like magic, and it’s a fantastic way to get children (and adults) excited about biology.

The UI is clean, friendly, and most importantly, it prioritizes safety and privacy. You don't have to worry about your location being shared publicly unless you choose to link an account. The badge system is surprisingly addictive; I found myself going out of my way to find a specific type of fungus just to complete my monthly challenge. Seek is a brilliant example of how technology can be used to reconnect us with the physical world rather than distracting us from it.

Reviewed on: Sun May 19 2024
Dinsun Avatar

Dinsun Review

Dinsun here. Is it a game? Barely. But it uses 'gamification' better than most of the trash in the App Store. I took this out into the garden, and it actually works—it identified a common toadflax and a garden spider without much fuss. The 'challenges' are basic, but they give you a reason to walk into the woods. It’s a tool for curiosity. My conservative side appreciates that it doesn't require an account and respects privacy. It won't keep you entertained on the sofa, but it’s the best thing on my phone for a Sunday walk.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

  • Surprisingly accurate recognition
  • No registration required
  • Promotes outdoor activity
  • Struggles in low light
  • Some rare species identification is hit-or-miss
  • Limited 'game' depth

Technical Report

Performance: Camera-heavy; will drain battery quickly and might heat up older devices.

Accessibility:
  • VoiceOver support
  • High-contrast text

Audience Fit

Buy if: You have kids or a personal interest in identifying local wildlife.

Skip if: You are looking for a traditional gaming experience with a story or combat.

Similar Games:
  • Pokémon GO
  • SkyView
  • PictureThis

Reviewer Context

  • Reviewer: Dinsun, 40-year-old conservative critic
  • Hardware: iPhone 15 Pro
  • Playtime: 20 hours
  • Status: Earned 15 badges

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

Version 2.17.9Thu Mar 19 2026

Minor updates and bug fixes



Requires iOS 15.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Use the power of image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you. Earn badges for seeing different types of plants, birds, fungi and more!

• Get outside and point the Seek Camera at living things

• Identify wildlife, plants, and fungi and learn about the organisms all around you

• Earn badges for observing different types of species and participating in challenges

OPEN THE CAMERA AND START SEEKING!

Found a mushroom, flower, or bug, and not sure what it is? Open up the Seek Camera to see if it knows!

Drawing from millions of wildlife observations on iNaturalist, Seek shows you lists of commonly recorded insects, birds, plants, amphibians, and more in your area. Scan the environment with the Seek Camera to identify organisms using the tree of life. Add different species to your observations and learn all about them in the process! The more observations you make, the more badges you’ll earn!

This is a great app for families who want to spend more time exploring nature together, and for anyone who wants to learn more about the life all around them.

KID-SAFE

Seek does not require registration and does not collect any user data by default. Some user data will be collected if you choose to sign in with an iNaturalist account, but you must be over 13 or have your parents permission to do so.

Seek will ask permission to turn on location services, but your location is obscured to respect your privacy while still allowing species suggestions from your general area. Your precise location is never stored in the app or sent to iNaturalist unless you sign in to your iNaturalist account and submit your observations.

Our image recognition technology is based on observations submitted to iNaturalist.org and partner sites, and identified by the iNaturalist community.

Seek is part of iNaturalist, a not-for-profit organization. Seek was made by the iNaturalist team with support from the California Academy of Sciences, the National Geographic Society, Our Planet on Netflix, WWF, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, and Visipedia.


Featured In

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Ratings & Reviews

4.8 out of 5 with 30734 Counts
Age Rating 4+

Screenshots

Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 1Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 2Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 3Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 4Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 5Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 6Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 7Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 8Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 9Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 10Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 11Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 12

Seek by iNaturalist turns the great outdoors into a scavenger hunt. Using advanced machine learning, the app identifies plants, animals, fungi, and insects from your camera feed in real-time. Designed to be safe for kids (no registration required by default), Seek encourages exploration by rewarding users with badges for finding different types of species. It draws from millions of wildlife observations on iNaturalist to provide accurate information about the world around you.

Features

1

Real-time species identification

2

Kid-safe privacy (no login required)

3

Educational facts about local flora/fauna

4

Monthly nature challenges

Tips

Promotion Videos

Seek by iNaturalist Introduction

Gameplays

Q&A

The camera identification works offline for many common species, but an internet connection is required to see detailed maps and sync with the global iNaturalist database.

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