Recce Support
Recce is a field notebook for wildlife and landscape photographers — scout a location, record what you find, and navigate back to the exact spot when it's time to shoot.
Need a hand? Email info@formandlightstudio.com.au and we'll help you out.
Getting started
Create a note for each scouting trip. Recce records where you are and groups the note into a Site automatically. Attach reference photos, tag what you found in each one, and set a reminder to return. Everything you add is saved on your device.
Frequently asked questions
How do Sites and Folders differ?
A Site is created automatically from a note's GPS location — nearby notes are grouped together and named from the surrounding park, reserve or suburb. A Folder is one you make yourself to group notes however you like. A note can belong to a Site and a Folder at the same time.
How do I tag what I photographed?
After you take a reference photo, Recce asks you to tag the sighting: choose wildlife or landscape, pick one or more groups or types, and optionally add a name (like "Blue Wren") and a note. Can't identify it in the field? Tap Unidentified and refine it later — nothing is forced.
How do I get back to a spot?
Every reference photo remembers where you took it. Open the photo, then press and hold its coordinates to copy them or open that exact spot in Apple Maps, Google Maps or Waze (whichever you have installed). On the Globe map, tapping a note reveals each of its photos as its own pin.
How do I find a photo or subject again?
Use the search bar to match note titles and text, site names, and each photo's name and notes. To browse by broad category instead, use the subject chips (Birds, Mammals, Mountains, and so on). Because photo names are free text, searching works best when you name things consistently.
Taking reference photos
In the camera, tap the subject to focus and set exposure, and pinch to zoom in (up to 5×) — handy for a distant bird or a far ridgeline. Reference photos are saved to your note, not to your Photos library.
Dictation isn't working
Recce transcribes speech entirely on your device, so your audio never leaves your phone. This needs the on-device speech model for your language to be available on the phone; if it isn't, Recce disables dictation and shows a message rather than sending your voice anywhere. Make sure dictation for your language is set up in the iOS Settings app, then try again.
Why does Recce ask for location, camera and microphone?
- Location records where a note and each photo were taken, so Recce can group them into Sites and guide you back.
- Camera captures your reference photos.
- Microphone is used only for optional voice dictation on text fields.
You can review or change any of these in the iOS Settings app.
Is my data private? Does it sync between devices?
Recce keeps everything on your device. There's no account, no sign-in, no cloud, no tracking and no ads — and because of that, Recce does not sync automatically between devices. See the Privacy Policy for full detail.
How do I back up my notes, or move to a new phone?
Recce can export a full backup — your notes, photos, sites and folders — to a single file that you save wherever you choose (for example, Files or iCloud Drive). To move to a new phone or recover your data, import that file into Recce. The backup file is unencrypted, so keep it somewhere secure.
I deleted something by mistake
A quick undo appears right after a delete. Beyond that, deleted notes and photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days, where you can restore them. To restore a photo, restore its note first.
Refunds and purchases
Recce is a one-time purchase handled entirely by Apple. For refund requests, use Apple's reportaproblem.apple.com — refunds are managed by Apple, not by the developer.
Still need help?
Email info@formandlightstudio.com.au with your question and, if it helps, a screenshot. We read every message.