FAQs

General enquiries and technical issues can be directed to calls@frogid.net.au
For media enquiries please contact: communications@australian.museum

FrogID is Australia’s first national frog identification project, created by the Australian Museum, focused on frog calls. It is a citizen science project that enables registered users with a smartphone to submit audio recordings of frogs, whenever they hear them. These recordings are then listened to and identified by one or more frog call experts at the Australian Museum and the user is notified of what species of frog they recorded. The FrogID app automatically captures accurate date, time and location information that informs scientists and land-managers on frog distribution and breeding behaviour.
For a detailed guide on how to use FrogID, visit here.
For a video on how to use FrogID, visit here.
For Terms of Use, visit here.
For Privacy Policy, visit here.

Annual data release:

Subject to available resources, the FrogID dataset is released annually on the FrogID website and shared with key biodiversity platforms, including the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and state, territory, and federal wildlife atlases through established data licence agreements. This ensures expert‑verified FrogID records are made available to inform state and national biodiversity conservation efforts.

Note: sensitive species records are buffered to protect the precise location of these species and their breeding habitat.

Data cleaning process:

The national FrogID dataset undergoes an extensive update and data-cleaning process, led by the Australian Museum herpetology team. The updated dataset incorporates changes and corrections from previous years of the FrogID project, along with the addition of new verified frog records. Due to the comprehensive nature of the data-cleaning process and resource limitations, there is typically an approximate one-year delay before FrogID data is integrated into ALA, GBIF, and state wildlife atlases across Australia.

Accessing the FrogID dataset

To view the live and buffered FrogID dataset, visit www.frogid.net.au/explore. To view your FrogID captures and export your submitted data, visit your FrogID profile at www.frogid.net.au/login

Note: FrogID users can choose to make their submissions private via their web profile, excluding their records from the live map and leaderboard.

FrogID has been developed and designed by the Australian Museum to facilitate participation in research aimed at better understanding where Australia’s frogs are, and how a changing environment impacts them.
For Terms of Use, visit here.
For Privacy Policy, visit here.

There are two ways to set up an account, either in the profile section of the FrogID app or at the login page on the website (https://www.frogid.net.au/login). Once you have an account you are free to contribute frog calls as often as you like.

You can choose to make your submissions private, excluding your records from the live FrogID map and leaderboard. This can be done by editing your FrogID profile to private via your web profile at www.frogid.net.au/login.

Yes, you are able to delete your FrogID account anytime from your profile section on the FrogID website: www.frogid.net.au/login. This will remove all identifiable information from your records, however FrogID will retain the recordings and associated data to use in its research. Note: You will not receive future access to your past records once you have deleted your account. Please contact us if you need any further assistance.

View the folders on your FrogID app, or log into your web profile at https://www.frogid.net.au/login/ and navigate to Captures Submitted. The web profile is where you can view and export all your FrogID records and audio files.

To download your FrogID audio recordings:

1. Log into FrogID web profile at www.frogid.net.au/login
2. Go to Captures Submitted
3. Select Export My Captures to download a CSV file of your submissions
4. Open the CSV file, copy the audio URL (column H) into a web browser, then click the three dots on the audio player to download the file.

Notes:

• All submitted recordings are accessible in your web profile
• You can Archive (remove) submitted recordings from your smartphone to save storage. Archived recordings will still be accessible in your web profile
• FrogID submits verified data to ALA and wildlife atlases - please avoid uploading your records separately to avoid duplication
• More information on web profile features: https://australian.museum/blog/amri-news/frogid-web-features/

The app doesn’t yet have an in-built automatic identification function (we’re working on it!). When you record a frog, the app uses the location, habitat and water body filters you enter to suggest possible matches - you can skip the filters if you prefer.
Once you submit a recording, at least one member of our team will listen to the call and identify the species. You’ll receive an email with the result, and the verified identification will also appear in your FrogID profile on the app and website.
It is important that you submit records even if you know what species of frog they are, as this increases our data, and helps researchers and land-managers better understand and conserve Australia’s frogs.

While we love seeing images of frogs and their habitats alongside your FrogID recordings, FrogID relies on frog calls recorded with the FrogID app to verify species. Every frog species in Australia makes a unique call and many frog species are indistinguishable by appearance alone.

Through FrogID recordings, we can identify frog species with high accuracy, minimise disturbance to frogs and their habitat, and build vital information for frog conservation, such as the breeding seasons and breeding habitats of frogs.
We encourage image-only submissions to iNaturalist at www.inaturalist.org. Both iNaturalist and FrogID submit research-grade records to the Atlas of Living Australia for research and conservation purposes.

FrogID relies on frog calls recorded with the FrogID app. The app uses the smartphone technology to automatically apply all the scientific information we need against the recording, including time, date, geolocation and GPS accuracy. As such, external recordings cannot be added to the FrogID database.
This forms part of FrogID's standardised methods, which can be reached in the scientific publication below.
Rowley, J.J.L., Callaghan, C.T., Cutajar, T., Portway, C., Potter K., Mahony, S, Trembath, D.F., Flemons, P. & Woods, A. (2019). FrogID: Citizen scientists provide validated biodiversity data on frogs of Australia. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 14(1): 155-170.

Frogs like bugs, but we don’t! We regularly work with developers to improve the app, but performance can vary across devices. If you encounter issues, try the following:

• Force close the app, then reopen it
• Restart your phone
• Update to the latest version of the FrogID app
• As a last step, delete and reinstall the app

Important: Deleting and reinstalling the app will remove any recordings that have not yet been submitted from your phone. Before reinstalling, please make sure:

• All recordings are submitted
• You select Sync Recordings for any submissions in your Pending Uploads folder

Still having issues?

If your problem continues, please email us at calls@frogid.net.au with the following information and we will do our best to help you from there:

1. User name or email
2. Description of the issue
3. The make and model of the mobile device
4. What operating software is installed on your device
5. Which version of the FrogID app you are using (this is located under Settings on Android devices and under Storage on iOS devices)

Common issues:

• Missing content: May occur if offline content hasn’t been downloaded or your connection is weak. Accept the prompt to download offline content when asked.
• App crashing or closing: Can happen if the app is processing large amounts of data or the connection is slow. Allow each screen time to load, especially when first opening the app.
• Device compatibility: The app supports iOS 10.2.1+ and Android 5.0+. It is not designed for tablet devices.

No, you can record frogs at any time using the FrogID app, even without mobile reception.

After recording:

• Tap Submit and your recording will upload automatically the next time you open the app with reception
• If you’re not logged in, log in later and submit recordings from the Not Submitted folder in your profile

To keep recording:

• On iOS: tap Record again
• On Android: tap Back, then Record

If recordings appear in Submitted: Pending Upload, select Sync Recordings to help upload them.

If you continue to experience issues, please contact us.

Like many apps, FrogID uses data on your device. Uploading and downloading content via a WiFi network is the fastest and cheapest option. Anyone using FrogID should consider their own data use, so please check your personal phone plan to understand your data allocation and any potential data charges that may apply to downloading and using the FrogID app.
Data storage and app maintenance costs are covered through support from both the Australian Museum and external funding sources.

Every FrogID submission is listened to by one or more frog call experts at the Australian Museum. Depending on the species and time of year, confirmations can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Since October 2025, FrogID has received thousands of submissions each week. Every recording is important - each one will be reviewed and contributes to the dataset used to inform frog conservation.

If your submission is needed for urgent biodiversity reporting, please let us know and we will aim to prioritise it.

Thank you for your recordings and your patience - we really appreciate your contribution.

When you sign up to FrogID you will need to verify the email address that you used to sign up. Not doing this will prevent you from submitting calls and being able to log in to your account. If you have not received an email in your inbox, please:

• check you junk/spam folder, or
• contact calls@frogid.net.au with the user name or email address you registered with and we will help you out.

1. Using the FrogID Mobile App: Access your Profile screen within the FrogID mobile app. There, you can make the necessary edits to your account details.
2. Via the FrogID Website: You can also log into your FrogID account on the FrogID website at www.frogid.net.au/login. Once logged in, navigate to the "Edit Profile" section to make the desired changes.

Note: to stop receiving FrogID eNewsletters to your former email address, you will need to select the "unsubscribe" option at the bottom of the eNewsletter.

Only FrogID group owners can export FrogID group submissions. To view your FrogID group submissions and to export the group data, log into your account via the FrogID website at www.frogid.net.au/login

• navigate to Groups
• search and select your FrogID group
• select the orange Calls Submitted box
• select Export group captures to download group data in csv file format

Note: FrogID submits expert-verified data to Atlas of Living Australia and state wildlife atlases. Please do not upload your FrogID data to these resources to avoid duplication. More information on web profile features introduced in 2022 can be reached here: https://australian.museum/blog/amri-news/frogid-web-features/

After recording, select the Null Record option on the filters screen and then select Submit. Please only select the Null Record option when:

• you are certain that no frogs are calling.
• at a site where you have heard frogs before, or you suspect they are there at other times.

Please only submit one null record per day per site. If the Null Record option was selected at the time of recording, this will appear as TRUE under your Captures list.Learn more about FrogID absence records at https://australian.museum/blog/amri-news/absence-records-frogid-app/

The 'Archive' function can remove the recording from your device (for example, to save storage). It will not delete the recording from the FrogID database since it has already been submitted and uploaded. The “Archive” icon is different to the “Delete/Trash” icon. Only submitted and uploaded recordings can be archived.The 'Archive' option is available in the following folders on the FrogID mobile app:

• Uploaded: Pending Verification
• Verified: Frog
• Verified: Not a Frog
• Verified: Unidentified

The simple answer is – when you hear a frog calling, record it with FrogID! If possible, record once per day at the same location. If you hear a different species, record that as well. Common species are important to record - frequent observations help track changes in frog populations over time.
Frogs are often most active after rain. Many species call in spring and summer during breeding season, while others call in autumn, winter, or even year‑round. Recording across all seasons helps us understand which species are present and when they are active.

Most Australian frogs call at night, especially in the first few hours after dark. However, some species may call during the day, particularly during or after wet weather. Regular recordings are valuable.

Male frogs call to attract females of their own species to breed, and frogs prefer to breed near water. Streams, ponds, dams, wetlands are all good places to start.
You can use the "Near me" filter on the FrogID app to learn about your local frogs and what habitats they like.

You can also explore the interactive spatial coverage map of FrogID records and help fill imporant science data gaps by recording in uncoloured areas where possible.

One of the reasons that frog populations are declining is disease, in particular a type of fungus called the amphibian chytrid fungus. This fungus attacks the skin of frogs and can cause them to die. The amphibian chytrid fungus is thought to be one of the main factors that four of Australia’s frog species are now Extinct.

The amphibian chytrid fungus can be spread by touching one frog and then another, or on your boots, clothing or equipment. To ensure that you don’t spread disease, it’s important not to touch frogs and to disinfect your boots and equipment between sites, avoid heading off track into the frog’s habitat too.

The introduced Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) is a type of frog, and if a Cane Toad is calling, please record it with the FrogID app. This information is shared with biosecurity agencies and groups researching Cane Toad populations across Australia, helping us understand the current distribution and impact of this introduced species. The FrogID app acts as an early warning system for any Cane Toads accidentally transported outside of their known range.

If you have Cane Toads in your area, regular FrogID recordings will help. There are some great examples of what a Cane Toad sounds like on the FrogID app or website.

If you record a Cane Toad outside of it's known distribution in Australia, our team will alert your state's biosecurity agencies.