- Product and Technical Support
- For product or technical support, first check below for answers to common questions. If you can't find the answer you need, contact us by emailing: support@larkwire.com. Please include your full name and login email address.
- Other Contacts
- For press inquiries, contact press@larkwire.com. For all other questions, comments, suggestions, testimonials, and bird love contact us at earth@larkwire.com.
- Larkwire Game Help Pages
- The Larkwire game has built-in help which you can access from the game home page. You can access these help pages on the web here.
- Can I use the web app on my phone or tablet?
Yes! Although we do offer a native version available through iTunes, the web app also works quite well as long as you run it in full screen mode. (Of course, you will need an internet connection.)
Note: Due to a bug in iOS 7, this technique does not currently work. We're currently exploring alternatives. To do this on the iPad or iPhone/Touch, first open Larkwire in Safari (on your device). Then tap the Add Bookmarks icon ( or +) and select Add to Home Screen. Now Larkwire will open using your full screen.
To do this on Android, first open Larkwire in your browser and create a bookmark. Then long-press the bookmark and select the Add shortcut to home option.
- Why is blank not in my songpack?
- The list of species that go in a songpack is based on factors such as species range and abundance. Unless you have one of our Pro songpacks, there are certainly many wonderful species in your area that couldn't be included. If you do have a Pro songpack and you think we omitted a crucial bird, by all means, drop us a line at support@larkwire.com.
- Why don't the recordings of blank sound like the ones I'm used to hearing?
- There are several possible reasons: (1) Your birds may be singing a different song or call than the one that is featured in your songpack. Each songpack focuses on certain songs and calls, and cannot include them all; (2) Bird sounds, especially songs, often have significant geographical variation. Although we strive to show the range of typical variation, we cannot cover every possible variation. This is just one of the wonderful things about birdsong.
- What if I'm tone deaf? Can I still learn birding by ear?
- Very few people have true tone deafness—the inability to distinguish different pitches. As long as you can tell high notes from low ones, you can learn to bird by ear—you don't have to be able to sing!
- But musicians do have a head start, because they're used to listening closely and hearing subtle differences. Some of the qualities we use to tell one bird song from another are hard to hear at first. Be patient and realize that even when you don't think you're hearing any difference, your ears are learning.
- Is it okay to share my account with someone else?
- Sharing your account is not recommended, because there is no way for Larkwire to keep track of each person's learning data separately. Both learners will lose much of the benefit of Larkwire's adaptive learning algorithms.
- Can two accounts share the same email address?
- Unfortunately, no. Your email address is also your login name, so each account must have its own email address. (If you don't have a second email address, you can easily set one up just for use with Larkwire. Google, Yahoo, and others provide free email accounts.
- What game level should I choose?
- The one where you have the most fun! You won't miss any songs by skipping a level, since every song from lower levels is included in the higher levels. On the other hand, the higher levels are significantly more challenging than lower levels, and the species at each level are carefully chosen to lay a foundation for learning at the higher levels. If you do jump ahead, and find yourself having difficulty, you may want to drop down a level and make sure that you've really mastered these foundation songs.
- Which game type should I choose?
- In general, both. From a learning perspective, the two games are very different and serve different roles. The Gallery is ideal for learning to hear the differences between songs. The Field is best for practicing ID from memory. To really learn birdsong, you need to do both. Of course, every learner is different, and you should do what works best for you. Have fun, and don't sweat it too much!
- Why are some game levels grayed out?
- Some songpacks (eg., Backyard Birder and Core) are too small to have all three game levels.
- How do I set up a Gallery between just two species?
- From within the game (press 'Play' button), open the Comparison page for the group containing the songs (by clicking the group title on the Groups Panel). Then check the checkboxes for the two species you want. If they're not in the same group, then do this for each group that contains a song you want in your gallery.
- How do I customize Larkwire to create different learning sets for different places?
- Playlists let you define different sets of species and switch between them. See the Help Instructions in the game for more information.
- How do I customize Larkwire to temporarily focus on specific species?
From within the game (press 'Play' button), you can manually select which birds you want to study by opening the Comparison page for any group and checking the box next to each species you want. The system will remember these settings until you uncheck them.
You open the Comparison page differently on different devices. With a mouse, click the group's title. With a touch screen, tap the birds under the group title. (On a phone, you'll need to open the Groups Panel, first.) Note that you must be within the game, not the Search & Browse section, when you open the Comparison page.
- I'm working on a group with more than four species in it. How do I get the last ones into the gallery?
- Use the Refill button .
- Why can't Larkwire play audio on my system?
For phones and tablets, make sure that you're using a supported device. We are regularly adding support for new devices, but can't do everything at once!
For desktops and laptops, the problem may be caused by using an older browser. Larkwire has been tested and works well on recent versions of Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari. Older versions may cause problems. Also, for the best results, check the status of your browser's Flash plugin and make sure it's up-to-date. (Note that this does not apply to mobile devices.)
If you use any type of Flash blocking software, please whitelist larkwire.com.
- Are my scores saved automatically?
- Yes. As long as you have web access, the game regularly saves your learning data. Press Home at the end of your game to see a summary of your session and send any unsaved data.
- How do I change my email or password?
- First, make sure you're logged-in. Then, click the Profile link and then click Edit profile. The Profile link is next to the Logout link at the top of every page on the web site. (Note that these links are not visible when you're playing the game. Visit the Home page to access the web site.)