We gathered the questions people are asking in this Frequently Asked Questions document. If your answer is not here please email us at Contact Us

Q.  I am trying to install the new iBird update but my installation seems to be stuck.

A.  It probably is not stalling. iBird is a very large app and takes between 10 and 20 minutes to install depending on the version you purchased.

Do not try installing on your device over WIFI. Instead first download the update in iTunes on your computer. Make sure the program is completely downloaded and your device is attached to the computer. Now click on the device name in the iTunes menu area on the left, click the Applications tab and make sure your app is listed and the check box for it is checked. Then click on the Sync button and watch the progress bar at the top of iTunes. Be patient as it moves slowly. After 10 to 20 minutes the progress bar will end and the app will be on the device and ready to use.

Q.  I see the Favorites and Flicker buttons but I don't see how to use the Favorites.

A.  When on a species page tap the button with the star icon. The start will go from empty to filled. Now this bird will appear in your Favorites list which you can access from the task bar at the bottom of the screen. To remove a favorite just tap the star button again and the star will become unfilled and removed from the Favorites list. Read More...

Q.  I bought the iBird Plus for $19.99 expecting it would be upgraded continually. Now I see there is a new version called iBird Pro for $29.99 with features I think should be in iBird Plus. How do you explain this?

A. If you can hear a song in iTunes you should be able to hear the sounds. If you can't first check that your speaker is turned ON. In the iPhone there is small mute switch on the upper left side. It should NOT be set to red, as that means the speaker is muted. Next check your volume is up. On the iPhone and most 2nd generation iPod touches there is a narrow black button under the mute switch, push the top half to increase the volume, push the bottom half to lower it. On the iPod touch older models there is no hardware volume control - press the "home" button twice to bring up the software audio slider.

Next check in Settings->Sounds that your Ring volume is set to maximum so the sounds will be at there loudest. When you move the ring volume control you should hear the ringtone you have selected. If you don't something is wrong with your device.

If none of these solutions work try soft rebooting your device (hold down the home button and the screen button at the top of the device at the same time until a reset slider appears). Reset the phone then press the screen button to restart it. If this does not help the last resort is to reinstall the iBird application. Delete it from the phone and then sync the phone to iTunes and reinstall it.

Q.  My iBird app quits after using it for a while. How do you explain this and can it be fixed?

A.  Some users have experienced iBird quitting unexpectantly. We have found the reason and fixed it in version 1.6.1 which is available in the app store now.

Q.  Does iBird require some kind of internet connection to work?

A.  No. iBird has all the data it needs in the application and you never need a connection to the internet to use it. The consequence of this is that that iBird is a large application since it contains so much information. Therefore iBird takes significant time to download and install. We recommend you install iBird by connecting your iPod Touch or iPhone directly to your computer, purchase the app in the iTunes store. iTunes will then download and sync iBird to your attached device.

Q.  After using iBird for a while my program quits. How do I reinstall it?

A.  Delete iBird from your iPhone or IPod touch by holding down on its icon until all the icons on the screen "jiggle". Tap on the red "X" in the upper right corner of the iBird icon.

Delete iBird from iTunes by going to the iTunes Application screen. Find the iBird icon, right click on it and select Delete.

Attach your device to your computer. Its okay if iTunes syncs just let it finish. Now go to the iTunes store and find the version of iBird you purchased. Click the "Buy" button again. Don't worry Apple knows that you already bought it and will display a message "You already own this application and it will be downloaded with no charge." Wait until iBird is completely downloaded to your iTunes.

Click on the device name in your menu and then click on the Application tab of the screen. Make sure you see your iBird app in the list and its checkbox is checked.

Click the Sync button. iTunes will sync the iBird app to your phone. Its a slow process so be patient. When complete you have a new version of iBird on your phone. Its icon may not be where it was before but it will be on one of your screens.

Q.  How about a feature to identify birds by listening to their songs like the popular Shazam app does for music?

A.  Its a cool idea, but there are some issues that make it very difficult. The Shazam program takes advantage of a large digital library of music that can be compared to the sounds received by the iPhone microphone. And since digital music is like a finger print the comparison process can be very accurate. Bird calls and songs on the other hand are more complex than human speech. Not only does every species have a repertory of sounds - no two birds sound alike. Indeed the same species of bird in the same area can have different dialects. Then there is the problem of the iPhone microphone, its just not up to the job of isolating a bird song from background noise. For that you need a special parabolic mic and a high gain amplifier with filters to remove noise. There are other reasons that make this difficult that are fairly technical So while we expect someday this will be feasible for now its remains on the wish list for great ideas.

Q.  I found some typos and a few facts that I believe are incorrect. What should I do?

A.  Our goal with the iBird product line is to make it perfect and we work very hard to fix any inaccuracy or editing mistake. We would very much appreciate if you could send us anything you believe is incorrect or misstated. Contact Us

Q.  Some of the birds are missing sounds and photos. Will they be included at some point?

A.  Yes we are working everyday to increase our complement of photos, sounds and illustrations. If you are a photographer we would be happy to consider adding your images to iBird. You can find out our requirements for photos at this link:

Photo Submission Page

Q.  Are there going to be offering other products like iBird for different subjects in nature?

A.  Yes we have already released 5 regional guides that are lower in cost and plan a children's version that includes quizzes and games. We are also developing "i" products that cover other subjects. Our next big release will be...well you will have to wait and see.

Let me end by saying we run a customer centric business and listen to what our customers have to say. That we feel is a win-win as it makes our products better and keeps on the right path.

The one thing that focus groups have shown is that iPhone users make buying decisions based on the reviews they see in the app store or in iTunes. So if you like our product you would be doing us a great favor by writing a review about your experiences with the product.

PS If you like iBird you might want to visit our web site whatbird.com. This site has an even more powerful search engine as well as an active forum of bird lovers. You can ask any of these experts to help you ID a bird when you can't find it with iBird.

Note: The follow links will quit the iBird app and open in Safari.

Whatbird Web: whatbird home page

iBird Forum:  talk about iBird forum

Search Engine:  online search engine

Support: support form

Mitch Waite