Question 1

What is FossilVault?

Accepted Answer

FossilVault is the collector-grade vault for fossils, minerals, gemstones, and rocks on iOS and Android. Every specimen gets a structured record — taxonomy, geological time, locality, acquisition, photos, dimensions, and value — and around the record you get printable labels, collection statistics, want lists, and a field companion for collecting sites and visits.

Question 2

Can I catalog minerals, gemstones, and rocks — not just fossils?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Fossils, minerals, gemstones, and rocks each get purpose-built record fields — from taxonomy and geological time to Mohs hardness, crystal systems, lab reports, and petrology.

Question 3

How do I add a specimen?

Accepted Answer

Tap '+' and fill in what you know — photos, category-specific fields, and notes. Fossil taxonomy can be looked up against the Paleobiology Database, geological time runs from Era down to Age, dates can be partial ('2008' is a valid date for an old acquisition), and locations can be an exact GPS point or an approximate area when discretion matters.

Question 4

Does the app identify fossils from photos?

Accepted Answer

No — FossilVault doesn't automatically identify specimens. It gives you comprehensive fields to record everything identification depends on: formation, time period, locality, and morphology. Optional AI features are limited to caption generation, species information lookup, and CSV column mapping, and they run on-device first. Your data is never used to train AI models.

Question 5

What are Localities & Visits?

Accepted Answer

The optional field companion for collectors who hunt their own specimens. Localities keep your collecting sites on record — geology down to formation, member, and bed, plus access notes, hazards, and ratings. Log a visit and the conditions record themselves: weather, wind, rain, and tide, with sunrise, sunset, and moon phase. Finds logged on a visit can be promoted to full specimen records with provenance pre-filled.

Question 6

Can FossilVault print specimen labels?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Label Creator turns records into print-ready PDF label sheets — Modern or Classic templates, three label sizes, A4 or US Letter — previewed in the app before printing. The free plan prints labels in batches of 4; Pro batches are unlimited.

Question 7

What are Want Lists?

Accepted Answer

Structured lists for the specimens you're hunting at shows, from dealers, or in trades. Every want carries its target — taxon, locality, condition, size — and an optional budget. Lists track budgeted versus spent, and when you find a piece you can record it and link it straight to the new specimen record. Lists can also be shared as a web link so a dealer knows exactly what you're after.

Question 8

Does FossilVault work offline?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The vault works offline at shows, fairs, and dig sites. Changes sync and photos upload when you're back online.

Question 9

Do I need an account?

Accepted Answer

No. You can start local and anonymous, and link an account later — Apple, Google, or email — without losing data. An account enables cloud backup and access across your devices.

Question 10

Is my data private and secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We do not sell, share, or rent your personal information, and your collection data and photos remain private — sharing is opt-in per specimen, and prices are never published on shared pages. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, we comply with GDPR, and we never use your data to train AI models. You can request access, corrections, or deletion at any time.

Question 11

Can I export my collection data?

Accepted Answer

Always. Export your entire collection or selected specimens as CSV, or as a ZIP bundle that includes your photos. Your records are never locked in.

Question 12

Can I import data from other collection apps?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Import from CSV with a review-before-save step: pick the target category, preview the parsed rows, remap columns if needed, and choose exactly which rows to keep. If your data is in another format, contact support and we'll help you migrate.

Question 13

What's included in the free plan?

Accepted Answer

10 specimens with 5 photos each, all four categories with full record fields, label sheets in batches of 4, 3 localities with visits and finds, shareable want lists, cloud backup and sync, and CSV import/export. No card, no trial clock.

Question 14

What does FossilVault Pro add?

Accepted Answer

Unlimited specimens and localities, the Stats dashboard, automatic field conditions (weather, tide, sun and moon), unlimited label batches, and more photos and storage. Plans and regional pricing are shown in the app and the stores.

Question 15

Are there other plans besides Pro?

Accepted Answer

Yes. FossilVault Max adds more photos per specimen and more storage for large collections, and Lifetime is a one-time purchase that keeps Pro-level features forever. All plans and their regional pricing are listed in the app and the stores.

Question 16

What happens if I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Your records stay yours. If your collection exceeds the free plan's limits when a subscription ends, you get a 30-day grace period to view everything and either trim to the free limits or resubscribe — and you can always export the full collection as CSV or ZIP first.

Question 17

What devices does FossilVault support?

Accepted Answer

FossilVault is available for iPhone and iPad (iOS 17.0 and later) on the App Store and for compatible Android devices on Google Play.

Frequently AskedQuestions