pippyg vs Observation
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
pippyg
Configure your bat recording devices remotely using your phone. Set device IDs, wake/sleep times, and location data. The app uses your phone's microphone to transmit settings to the recorder.
- Configure real-time clock
- Set device ID
- Define deployment latitude and longitude
- Set wake and sleep times
- Configure PIPPYG bat recorder
- Configure π•pistrelle bat detector
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This tool gives you a convenient and reliable method to set the real-time clock, device ID, deployment latitude and longitude, and wake and sleep times for the PIPPYG bat recorder bat detector, in the field, using just your phone and the PIPPYG's onboard microphone. To use the app, set up the configuration you want in terms of Device ID and sleep/wake times, turn your phone volume up to between 1/4 and 1/3 full volume and place your phone's speaker about 4 - 6 inches your PIPPYG's microphone. Now press the Configure / Deploy. SInce the PIPPYG red LED responds to sound after power-up, it flash when your phone makes the "triple chirp" sound. If the LED flashes just when it is responding to the sound, the PIPPYG did not successfully decode the data packete encoded into the chirp, so you need to try again - try changing the phone volume (typically quieter is better), adjust and the distance from the microphone, or positioning the phone more carefully relaive to the PIPPYG - it helps if you point the phone's bottom speakers right at the microphone hole, from a few inches away. If the PIPPYG's red LED flashes 8 times in rapid succession, you have successfully programmed your device, and it will enter a wake/sleep cycle, recording bats (or birds) when it is awake. Note that this app works with both self-build PIPPYG units and with commercially-produced Apodemus PIPPYG and PIPPYG2 devices.
Observation
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With Observation you can easily record nature observations in the field. Our online image recognition AI helps you identify the species on your images. You can choose to use the app offline anywhere in the world. Your observation data is stored on your phone first. Saved observations can be uploaded to Observation.org when online. This app is part of Observation.org; an EU-based platform for world wide biodiversity monitoring and citizen science. Observations that you save in your account are publicly visible for everyone who visits Observation.org. Take a look at the website to see what other observers have recorded and explore all data collected by our community. Observations are validated by species experts, after which the records are made available for scientific research.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Observation at every 3 weeks against pippyg's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
pippyg ships an update every 2 months, Observation every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | pippyg | Observation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 80 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Phil Atkin | Observation International |
In-app purchases
pippyg
No in-app purchases
Observation
No in-app purchases








