# Bryophyte Lens - Moss ID — AI moss & liverwort identifier

> AI-powered identification of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts from photos. (iPhone/iPad app by Michael Saillant.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bryophyte-lens-moss-id/id6769223727 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Michael Saillant](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896641325)
- Category: Reference, Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 66 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-05-19
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bryophyte-lens-moss-id/id6769223727/reviews.md

## What is Bryophyte Lens?

Bryophyte Lens helps you identify mosses, liverworts, and hornworts from your photos — the tiny, ancient plants that carpet forest floors, cling to stones, and quietly shape ecosystems worldwide.

Snap a photo (or several) of a bryophyte and Bryophyte Lens returns its best guesses, with notes on what to look for to confirm the identification. Upload multiple photos of the same specimen to improve accuracy through multi-photo averaging.

WHO IT'S FOR
- Naturalists and field biologists working with bryophytes
- Students learning plant identification
- Hikers, gardeners, and curious explorers wondering "what is this moss?"
- Researchers building reference observations

FEATURES
- AI-powered identification of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts
- Multi-photo averaging for more confident IDs
- Optional location tagging with privacy controls — share publicly, with researchers, or keep entirely private
- Personal observation history
- Community-moderated database

PRIVACY FIRST
Your photos and locations belong to you. Location data is never attached to public observations without your explicit choice. Account-free browsing supported for casual use.

ABOUT
Bryophyte Lens is an independent research project built by a biology student. It's free to use, with optional support via Ko-fi for those who want to contribute to its development.

Bryophytes are easy to overlook but central to the ecosystems they inhabit — from carbon storage to water regulation to providing habitat for invertebrates. Bryophyte Lens is built to make their identification accessible to everyone.

## Key features

- AI-powered identification
- Multi-photo averaging
- Optional location tagging
- Personal observation history
- Community-moderated database
- Privacy controls

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bryophyte-lens-moss-id/id6769223727/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Ken

*2026-08-17*

Good app and identifier but is a bit small as of right now and the community on the post are kind of asleep, but I wish you luck that in the future it can turn into something big

## Frequently asked questions about Bryophyte Lens

### What types of plants can Bryophyte Lens identify?

Bryophyte Lens specializes in identifying mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. These are the small, ancient plants often found carpeting forest floors and clinging to stones.

### How accurate is Bryophyte Lens identification?

The app uses AI-powered identification and supports multi-photo averaging to improve accuracy. While specific accuracy rates are not provided, users can upload multiple photos of the same specimen for more confident IDs.

### Can I use Bryophyte Lens without an account?

Yes, account-free browsing is supported for casual use, allowing you to identify bryophytes without creating an account.

### Does Bryophyte Lens have ads?

No, Bryophyte Lens is ad-free. It is a free-to-use application with optional support via Ko-fi for development contributions.

### What devices is Bryophyte Lens available on?

Bryophyte Lens is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices.

### How is my location data handled by Bryophyte Lens?

Location tagging is optional and comes with privacy controls. You can choose to share publicly, with researchers, or keep your location data entirely private. Location data is not automatically attached to public observations.

### How often is Bryophyte Lens updated?

The latest version of Bryophyte Lens is 1.5, which was last updated on August 21, 2026. This indicates active development and regular updates.

### What is the age rating for Bryophyte Lens?

Bryophyte Lens has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users, including younger explorers.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.5 — 2026-08-21

Identification has been rebuilt again — bigger and more honest than ever.

MORE THAN 150 GENERA
The identifier now recognises 156 genera of mosses, liverworts and hornworts — up from 98 — trained on more than 60,000 verified specimens.

HYDRATION ADVICE
Dry bryophytes fold away their identifying features. When a specimen looks desiccated, the app now suggests misting it and re-photographing.

SHARPER "NOT A BRYOPHYTE" DETECTION
The rate of look-alikes wrongly accepted as bryophytes was nearly halved.

A LIBRARY FOR EVERYTHING
All 156 genera now have illustrated pages: real world-distribution maps, habitat notes, key identification features, and cited sources on every page.

Plus: faster photo uploads, a cleaner phone layout, and assorted fixes.

### 1.4 — 2026-08-18

MORE ACCURACY
A new two-stage model recognizes 98 genera of mosses, liverworts and hornworts, trained on 34,000 verified specimens — up from a handful of species.

HONEST ABOUT UNCERTAINTY
The app now tells you how far it can actually go: a species, a genus, or simply "this is a moss". Previously it always named a species, even when it wasn't sure. Seeing "genus level" isn't the app failing — it means the identification is solid as far as it goes, and you can trust it.

BETTER AT SAYING "NOT A BRYOPHYTE"
Ferns, lichens and other look-alikes are far less likely to be confidently called moss.

MUCH FASTER
Identification now takes a few seconds instead of up to twenty.

FULL IPAD SUPPORT
The app now runs properly on iPad.

A COMPLETE BRYOPHYTE LIBRARY
Every genus the app recognises now has its own illustrated page: photographs, a world distribution map from real observation records, habitat notes, key identification features and similar genera — with the sources cited on every page.

### 1.3 — 2026-08-13

Bryophyte Lens 1.3 brings a big under-the-hood upgrade:

• Faster, more reliable app and photo loading
• Improved Google and Apple sign-in
• Better protection for community content
• Bug fixes and stability improvements

Your collection and observations are right where you left them. Happy moss hunting!

### 1.1 — 2026-06-02

v1.1 brings several improvements:

- Sign in with Google is back on iOS with improved reliability
- Photos taken with the in-app camera can now be saved to your iOS Photos library (toggle in Settings)
- Location-aware identification: predictions are now refined based on your geographic region for better accuracy
- Cleaner navigation
- Bug fixes and small improvements

### 1.0 — 2026-05-19

No release notes.

## Apps similar to Bryophyte Lens

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Grass Identifier: AI Scan](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grass-identifier-ai-scan/id6748553668) | 4.4 (212) | Free | Reference |

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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 2026-08-27.*
