Merlin Bird ID

FissionChips

I tried again a week ago and had the same issue.
I've been using another play store app from Cornell called birdNET. Not as good but it works so long as you have net access to send the call to be processed.

cinclodes

I don't know enough about android to know if this is common, but I'm seeing a lot of logs that appear to be SELinux violations. Adding a link here in case some kind soul would care to shed some light on what they mean.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H8ltORRqJ70E-GfIh88OA6bajMVrWQvo/view?usp=drivesdk

birds3333

I found version 3.1 has worked for me, but later versions did not. I uninstalled the play store version and manually installed the apk I found from apkmirror at that specific version. I do have play location services enabled, so not sure if that is what is making this work or not. I am very confused as to why this started working and later stopped working, or why the location detection in Merlin is so different from eBird (which works great for me — though that had a hiccup streak, too).

jacobb

It doesn't work as smooth but have you tried WhoBIRD from f-droid?

It works fine on my p7a running GOS.

birds3333

@jacobb no, haven't yet, but thanks for the suggestion.

AverageGuy

Just a heads up… apparently Merlin works without location now.

What's new
Location, Location, Location!

No Location? No Worries! Even without location data, you can set your spot on the map and let Merlin do its thing, providing top-notch answers every time.

Smoother Messaging
Sound ID Enhancements: We’ve polished our messaging for areas where Sound ID isn’t supported, giving you clearer info and a better user experience.

Upgrade to 3.2 now and dive into a more flexible, privacy-friendly, and user-centric Merlin!

I'm using Lineage ATM so I can't confirm if it does work on GOS

birds3333

I can't seem to get that version (3.2.1) working. Oof, man this is so frustrating.

mew_215

Damn. I'm trying today and cannot get Merlin to work either. I'd be down for a writing campaign to them. I wonder if a lot of us wote maybe they'd respond or do aomething.
This is one of my favorite apps and I'm really sad I can't use it.

birds3333

So I got into the beta on google play and the latest version started working for me (3.3-beta02)

birds3333

Just updated to 3.3 (not beta) and this is also working. Maybe this is finally behind us. I am grabbing a backup of the apk and setting google play not to auto-update this app going forward, so I can always keep a backup of working versions and downgrade if needed. Hopefully this functionality will be permanent and that won't be needed.

jmo

birds3333 Great news ! Where did you find the 3.3 version ? I can't find it on Aurora.

birds3333

Oh! I think I got it early because I'm in the beta group for the app. I see the public release on Play store is 3.2.1 still. Hopefully soon for public/aurora.

cinclodes

The "Likely Birds" feature (Merlin's most useful feature, IMHO) in the Explore tab seems to not be working because it's using android's geocoding api (import android.location.Geocoder;) which GrapheneOS hasn't implemented yet.
A quick websearch revealed numerous threads relating to this topic, all of them pointing to https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/23
It seems os-level geocoding has been a known missing feature for a while; the above referenced github issue saw little activity the past 5 years, but was recently tagged as "high priority".
Until this feature is added to GrapheneOS I don't know if there is much to be done besides donating. In theory it could be possible to reverse enginner Merlin and replace the android.location.Geocoder calls with an alternate API, but I haven't looked into Merlin's Terms of Service to check the legality of that.

jmo

Thanks for the infos and links.

Th 3.3 version is out and the geolocalisation in the "Sound ID" seems to work as @birds3333 said, it just can't display the name of the places, only the GPS coordonate.
But it still doesn't work on the "Step by step" way, it can't get the current location, only the recent ones (those you get with the Sound ID).

g3t___

Hi all, can anyone confirm that location via lat/long is still working in Merlin Bird ID on graphene at version 3.5.1 ?

I am at v3.3 when it first started finally working for sound ID, and have been hesitant to upgrade. Any confirmation would be greatly appreciated!

jmo

Just testes, it's working on 3.5.1 in sound id.

thermokarst

So happy it works (partially at least)

Sound ID location works and still lists GPS points but that at least makes the step-by-step function mostly usable again with being able to click on recent locations.

Confirmed working on vr. 3.5.2

Also; has anyone gotten eBird to work?
I can't get it to determine my location at all when trying to submit my data / explore nearby / or download a pack

In the explore tab you can however manually enter a postal code and find a location (in the US at least)

kropotkin

I'm on a Pixel 8, with Merlin 5.6.1, and nothing location-related works. Can't search for locations, can't drop a pin on a map, can't use the phone's location. Don't suppose anyone has any further insight into the situation, besides wait and see if updates fix it? Or... suggestions for an alternative bird ID app (European most important, North American next)? Thanks.

DeletedUser370

3.6.1. Only Sound ID can get my location. This is with Network location enabled, GrapheneOS 2025042500. Strange.