# BirdNET Live — Bioacoustics in your Pocket

> Offline bird song identification and bioacoustic research tool. (iPhone/iPad app by Stefan Kahl.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet-live/id6776168518 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Stefan Kahl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1541842887)
- Category: Education, Books
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 6 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.6 · 346 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-06-10
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet-live/id6776168518/reviews.md

## What is BirdNET Live?

BirdNET Live runs our most sophisticated sound ID model directly on your device — no internet connection required.

Watch a live scrolling spectrogram, view species detections in real time, and manage your growing library of animal sounds right from your phone.

BirdNET Live supports bioacoustic research and structured acoustic surveys across multiple workflows:

- Live Mode — Real-time species detections with a live spectrogram
- Point Counts — Structured timed sessions with live detections
- Surveys — Record longer transects while tracking detections along your route
- File Analysis — Analyze audio files from local storage
- Batch Analysis — Process multiple audio files in bulk
- ARU Mode — Schedule longer acoustic recording deployments

BirdNET Live is designed for researchers and citizen scientists alike and offers extensive configuration and detection review options.

This app is a joint effort by the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics and Chemnitz University of Technology, in partnership with the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

Development of this app is supported by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt.

For more information, consult our online user guide: https://birdnet-team.github.io/birdnet-live-app/user/

## Key features

- Offline sound identification
- Real-time spectrogram
- Species detection
- Structured survey modes
- Audio file analysis
- Sound library management

## Recent user reviews (7 of 7)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet-live/id6776168518/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Découvrir son territoire

*2026-08-14*

J’étais assez dubitatif avant de l’essayer sur les chemins côtiers de mon île et, là, surprise :-)
Les fiches techniques (descriptives des volatiles :-) sont bien faites, les photos d’illustration de qualité et c’est plein de petites informations (à lire !). 

Ne pas oublier de virer les enregistrements car même optimisés, ça prend de la place :-)

### 5/5 — tolle app mit vielen wissenschaftlichen funktionen

*2026-08-07*

die einstellung „Alle detektierten Arten anzeigen“ sollte standardmäßig aktiviert sein meiner meinung nach ;)

### 5/5 — Meets User Needs - more!

*2026-07-18*

Previous review praising BirdNET Live and its abilities revised - to reflect my finding the setting for a full screen of observations during a session. Great app, great positioning. “Professional bioacoustics in your pocket. Built for field researchers, conservationists, and serious birders.”

### 5/5 — Meets user needs!

*2026-07-03*

A very nice app, representing a big addition to the category! Using in Live mode, would like to see the full session list rather than just the current bird. The full list is available only after stopping, at least what I’ve been able to do. 

Love this app and its clear positioning- Professional Bioacoustics in your Pocket.

### 5/5 — Excellent functionality, and very responsive in addressing initial issues

*2026-07-02*

Update: The export issue described below has been promptly resolved!

Original review: I was excited to see this app and very much appreciate the functionality and well thought out design, but so far the export function is not working properly for me. The problem is that it does not follow the export settings I’ve selected (and I’ve adjusted them on the overall settings menu as well as the settings menu accessed from the Session Review screen). I have it set to export gpx and audio files, but it does not include either in the zip file—it still only includes a selections.txt file, a metadata.json file, and an HTML report. The app will be much less useful if I can’t export the audio files. Nonetheless I hugely appreciate the effort behind it and recognize it’s still in beta so I’m sure this will be resolved eventually!

### 5/5 — Great features, but app updates erase the audio from recordings EDIT: thank you for fixing this!

*2026-06-29*

I have been trying this app out and comparing it to Merlin, and it’s been fun to play around with it as well as see the variety of ways I can use it. Unfortunately, every time I install an app update (twice now), it erases the audio I recorded and it’s gone.  I don’t know where it went, but I’m not happy because I had some nice audio and now it’s gone.  I don’t feel comfortable recording in the app if this happens.

EDIT: thank you for the prompt response! The update fixed it and my recordings are back. A++ service!

**Developer response:** Thank you for the feedback, and I'm sorry about the lost recordings — you found a real bug. On iOS, app updates can change the internal storage path, so the app lost track of audio that was actually still on your device. I've fixed this in the next update: it stops the problem going forward and should automatically restore your previous recordings when you update (as long as you update over the app rather than deleting/reinstalling it). Thanks for helping improve the app!

### 4/5 — Very promising, but audio exports not working

*2026-06-26*

I was excited to see this app and very much appreciate the functionality and well thought out design, but so far the export function is not working properly for me. The problem is that it does not follow the export settings I’ve selected (and I’ve adjusted them on the overall settings menu as well as the settings menu accessed from the Session Review screen). I have it set to export gpx and audio files, but it does not include either in the zip file—it still only includes a selections.txt file, a metadata.json file, and an HTML report. The app will be much less useful if I can’t export the audio files. Nonetheless I hugely appreciate the effort behind it and recognize it’s still in beta so I’m sure this will be resolved eventually!

## Frequently asked questions about BirdNET Live

### Does BirdNET Live have ads?

No, BirdNET Live is completely free of advertisements. It is designed to provide an uninterrupted experience for users focused on bioacoustic research and bird identification.

### What devices does BirdNET Live support?

BirdNET Live is available for iPhone and iPad devices. This ensures accessibility for a wide range of mobile users interested in its features.

### How often is BirdNET Live updated?

The latest version, 0.18.1, was released on June 29, 2026. While specific update frequency isn't detailed, the app has seen recent development, indicating ongoing support and potential improvements.

### What is the age rating for BirdNET Live?

BirdNET Live has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for young children and general audiences, with no mature content.

### Can BirdNET Live be used without an internet connection?

Yes, BirdNET Live runs its sophisticated sound identification model directly on your device, meaning no internet connection is required for its core functionality. This makes it ideal for fieldwork.

### What are the different modes available in BirdNET Live for research?

BirdNET Live offers four distinct modes for bioacoustic research: Live Mode for real-time detections, Point Counts for timed sessions, Surveys for recording transects, and File Analysis for local audio files.

### What is the user sentiment for BirdNET Live based on ratings?

BirdNET Live has a very high user rating of 4.8 stars from 4 ratings. This suggests a strong positive reception from its current user base.

### Where can I find more information or a user guide for BirdNET Live?

An online user guide is available for BirdNET Live at https://birdnet-team.github.io/birdnet-live-app/user/. This resource provides comprehensive details on how to use the app's features.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.1.2 — 2026-08-12

Improves File Analysis and long-recording review, adds adaptive location filtering and shared-file imports, and makes audio analysis faster and more reliable across the app.

### 1.0.3 — 2026-08-03

Improves the stability and compatibility of the exported results

### 1.0.0 — 2026-08-01

This version improves stability, detection sampling, and GPS track accuracy.

### 0.18.7 — 2026-07-09

This update adds a high-contrast theme, three new languages (Dutch, Polish, and Russian), abundance tiers and filtering in Explore, the ability to pick your location on a map, optional automatic saving of Live Mode and Point Count sessions, and a link to listen to any species on eBird.

### 0.18.3 — 2026-07-02

This version focuses on accessibility: a new high-contrast black-and-white theme in Settings, better screen reader support with spoken slider values and control labels, and darker muted text in the light theme for easier reading.

## More apps by Stefan Kahl

- [BirdNET](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet/id1541842885)

All apps by Stefan Kahl: https://appshunter.io/developer/1541842887

## Related topics

[rubber band throw](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rubber-band-throw) · [starling murmurations](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/starling-murmurations)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*
