Frequently AskedQuestions

FossilVault is a collection app for fossils, minerals, gemstones, and rocks on iOS and Android. Keep photos, identification, locality, acquisition details, dimensions, and value together in each specimen record. Add printable labels, collection statistics, want lists, and a field journal for collecting sites and visits.

Yes. All four categories are included in every plan. Each has its own fields, from fossil taxonomy and geological time to Mohs hardness, crystal systems, gemstone lab reports, and petrology.

Tap the add button and enter what you know. Add photos, category-specific details, and notes. You can look up fossil taxonomy in the Paleobiology Database, record geological time, and use partial dates when you only know the year or month of an acquisition. Locations can be an exact point or an approximate area.

No. FossilVault helps you document an identification rather than automatically identifying a specimen from a photo. Record the locality, formation, geological time, physical details, and reference photos that support your identification.

Optional tools can help draft captions, look up species information, and suggest CSV column mappings where available. On iOS, Ask your collection can answer questions about records you have already saved. Availability depends on the feature, device, and service. Some processing uses cloud services and needs an internet connection. Ask your collection requests confirmation before its first cloud request for your account; it does not send prices, precise coordinates, or private notes, and the data is not used to train AI models.

Localities record your collecting sites, with geology, access notes, hazards, and ratings. Visits keep the date, companions, conditions, and finds from a trip together. A find can become a specimen record with its provenance filled in. Free includes 3 localities. Pro and Max allow unlimited localities and add automatic weather, sunrise, sunset, and moon information. Tide conditions can be recorded manually.

Yes. The iOS Label Creator makes print-ready PDFs with Modern, Classic, Archival, Field Tag, and Strata templates, three label sizes, and A4 or US Letter paper. Preview the result and choose 1 to 999 copies per specimen. Free lets you select up to 4 specimens per batch; Pro and Max remove that selection limit. Copies repeat each selected label and do not count as additional specimens in the batch.

Want Lists keep track of specimens you hope to find at shows, from dealers, or through trades. Record a target, preferred locality, condition, size, and optional budget. Track spending, link a fulfilled want to its specimen record, and share a list by web link when you choose. Want Lists are included in Free.

Yes. The Stats dashboard is available on every plan, including Free. Explore collection value, geological coverage, countries, milestones, and a map of recorded find locations. The results depend on the details you have entered in your records.

You can access records already saved on your device and make supported record changes offline. Those changes sync when you reconnect. Initial sign-in, cloud tools, sharing, and photo uploads need a connection. Save new locality and visit photos when you are online; offline field records can be saved without their new photos.

You can continue without signing up. This creates an anonymous session and needs an internet connection the first time. Link Apple, Google, or email sign-in later to keep access to that collection across devices. Link your existing session before signing out or changing devices so you can return to the same collection.

Specimens become public when you deliberately publish them. Your registered profile is public by default: anyone with its link can see your profile information and published specimens. Public specimen records can include photos and descriptive locality information, but exclude prices, private notes, and precise coordinates. Keep sensitive details out of public profile fields and the descriptive fields of specimens you publish.

Yes. On iOS, open your public profile to share its link or QR code. People can use the link to browse your profile and published specimens on the web. Private specimens do not appear on that page.

Yes, on every plan. Export collection records as CSV, with a ZIP option that includes photos. Export stays available if your subscription ends or your collection exceeds the current plan limits. Downloading photos that are not already on the device needs an internet connection.

Yes. Import a CSV file, choose the target category, review the parsed rows, remap columns, and select the records to keep before saving. Imported specimens count toward your plan limit. If you need help preparing a file, contact support.

In the current iOS app, Free includes 50 specimens, 5 photos per specimen, 2 GB of cloud storage, and 3 localities. You also get all four categories, collection statistics, Want Lists, cloud sync, CSV import and export, and label batches of up to 4 selected specimens. There is no card requirement or trial countdown. Check the plan comparison in your app for the allowances available on your device.

Both are subscriptions with unlimited specimens and localities, unlimited label batches, and automatic visit conditions. In the current iOS app, Pro includes 10 photos per specimen and 10 GB of storage. Max includes everything in Pro, with 20 photos per specimen, 50 GB of storage, larger photo uploads, and 10 photos per locality or visit instead of 5. Current allowances, billing options, and regional prices are shown in the app before you subscribe.

Paid access continues until the subscription expires. After that, your existing specimens and photos stay in your collection. You can still view, edit, and export records. Adding specimens pauses while you are at or above the free specimen limit; new uploads remain subject to the free photo and storage limits. You can make room or subscribe again. An over-limit reminder may appear for a limited time, but its end date does not delete your collection.

The current iOS version supports iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 26 or later, including layouts for both iPhone Duo displays. FossilVault is also available for compatible Android devices on Google Play. Check your store listing for device compatibility. Some tools and layouts differ by platform and device.