Complete operating manual

FieldNook User Manual

Version 1.0, September 16, 2026

FieldNook is a private outdoor noticing companion with 333 prompts across four weekly quest paths. It works without an account and keeps your field cards on your device. FieldNook is not navigation, emergency support, safety advice, species identification, or an environmental authority.

1. The five main areas

Field desk opens your private field stations and repeat observation notebook. Hedgerow contains the current weekly quests. Nook contains your quest cards and captured moments. Almanac contains monthly reflections and 33 badges. Drawer contains backup, paid access, support, the user manual, privacy, terms, and the EULA.

Field stations: return to one small place

Start a field station from Field desk. Give it a nickname and describe a landmark that helps you return to the same view. FieldNook never records coordinates. Station names and landmarks stay in the private notebook, automatic recovery, and backups you choose to export.

Each station offers three complete observation methods. All stations, methods, comparisons, and CSV data exports are included without a purchase.

Sound sit records a manual tally of bird sounds, insects, wind and leaves, water, people and traffic, and other sounds. Tap Start listening, then count a distinct sound event using the plus controls. Use minus to correct a tally. A repeating call or burst counts once; a continuous sound counts once until it stops. Pause and resume as needed. Listening time pauses when you leave the screen or app and is limited to ten minutes. No microphone is used. The saved visit shows both counts and events per minute. Different weather, attention, and times of day affect the result.

Patch mosaic is a personal sketch of a small area divided into five rows and five columns. Choose a cover, then mark the dominant cover in each of the twenty five cells. All cells must be marked before saving. Each cell is four percent of the sketch, not a measured area of land. Return to the same angle and patch size for useful comparisons. Green growth, fallen leaves, bare ground, stone, and flowers have separate colors and accessible labels.

Branch watch records buds, new leaves, full leaves, flowers, fruit or seeds, turning leaves, and bare twigs on one chosen branch. Mark each as present, absent, or unsure. At least one feature must be observed. Unsure is not counted as absent. Features can coexist; FieldNook does not identify a plant or infer its health.

Every visit includes a date, method, observed conditions, and an optional note. Open a saved visit to compare it with the preceding visit at that station using the same method. Sound sit comparisons use events per minute, patch changes use percentage points of marked cells, and branch comparisons show recorded changes. These personal observations are not scientific measurements or verified environmental conclusions.

The station notebook can export CSV through the native sharing menu. It includes the station nickname, return landmark, dates, conditions, notes, and observation values. Choose the destination yourself. Protect the exported file as private data. Manage this station and Manage this observation include deletion controls with confirmation. Deleting a station also removes its visits from the current notebook. Copies in previously exported backups remain until you delete those copies.

2. Start and complete a quest

1. Open Hedgerow.
2. Review the four quest paths prepared for the current app week.
3. Choose an available quest and read the complete prompt.
4. Select Complete this quest.
5. Add an optional note, photo, short video, or voice note.
6. Select Press to Keep.
7. FieldNook saves the quest card locally, updates progress, and creates an automatic recovery snapshot.

During the first two app weeks, all four paths are available. With active Trail Pass or Forever Almanac access, all four paths remain available. Completing an available quest reveals a fresh quest from that path.

3. Weekly quest access

The full 333 quest catalog is bundled for offline use. FieldNook calculates app weeks from the date the local collection began. During app weeks one and two, all four paths are available, repeatable, and replenish after completion. Beginning with app week three, one rotating highlighted path offers the weekly pick. The other paths show complete previews and are available with paid access.

4. Capture a moment

Open Nook and select Capture a moment. Add any outdoor thought, observation, photo, short video, or voice note worth remembering. A captured moment is independent of a quest and has a distinct label and visual treatment in Nook.

5. Notes, photos, videos, and voice notes

Every attachment is optional and requires your deliberate action. FieldNook accepts prepared photos up to 8 MB, videos up to 25 MB, and voice notes up to 10 MB per card. Photos are decoded and reencoded to remove embedded metadata such as location fields. FieldNook does not request location. Media remains in the private app container and is included in automatic recovery snapshots and exported backups.

6. Organize the Nook

Use Show to view all cards, quest cards, captured moments, or favorites. Use Order to sort newest or oldest first. A pinned card stays above unpinned cards within the selected order. Mark any card as a favorite for a focused collection. You can remove a pin or favorite at any time.

7. View media

Photos appear on their field card. Videos and voice notes include playback controls. If a media file is unavailable, the card remains intact and indicates which media type could not be loaded.

8. Reflections

Almanac summarizes field cards and distinct quests saved during the current calendar month. The reflection prompt is derived locally from your activity. Nothing is uploaded for reflection generation.

9. Badges

Almanac contains exactly 33 illustrated badge designs. Badges recognize quest completion, repeat weeks, captured moments, selected media, pinning, favorites, and keepsake creation. Badge progress is derived locally. FieldNook does not track or verify location, outdoor presence, or physical achievement.

10. Share a keepsake

Image, PDF, and text keepsake sharing requires active Trail Pass, Forever Almanac, or an Epicalin device grant.

1. Open Nook.
2. Select Share on a field card.
3. Choose Beautiful image, Keepsake PDF, or Share details.
4. Review the generated keepsake.
5. Choose a destination in the iOS or Android sharing menu.

The export contains the entry type, title, date, quest context when applicable, the complete note, and a description of captured media types. The original card remains private and unchanged. Only the composed export leaves FieldNook when you choose a destination.

11. Work offline

The installed app contains quests, card creation, Nook, reflections, badges, the manual, legal pages, automatic recovery, and user controlled backup. These features work without internet. Store purchase refresh, manual device grants, the secure support form, and destinations chosen in the sharing menu require connectivity. FieldNook provides no safety critical information.

12. Automatic recovery

Automatic recovery is always on. FieldNook creates an integrity checked snapshot after initial setup and after every durable card, pin, favorite, share record, restore, or entitlement state change. It keeps the newest three snapshots. Open Drawer, then Keeping, to view the latest protected time or recover the newest verified snapshot.

If a snapshot cannot be written, FieldNook preserves the primary saved collection and asks you to export a backup. A snapshot is not a replacement for a separate export or platform backup.

13. Export a backup

1. Open Drawer, then Keeping.
2. Select Export backup.
3. Choose a private destination in the system sharing interface.
4. Keep the JSON file secure because it may contain notes and media.

The export includes a SHA 256 integrity digest. FieldNook never automatically sends a backup to Epicalin.

Exported backups and automatic recovery snapshots preserve your collection, not a transferable purchase or device grant. A checksum protects the file against accidental changes. It does not grant paid access.

14. Restore a backup

1. Keep an existing export before replacing a collection.
2. Select Restore exported backup.
3. Choose a FieldNook JSON export.
4. FieldNook verifies the format, digest, schema, card data, and attachment metadata before saving.
5. Confirm that the restored card and media counts match expectations.

If verification fails, the current collection remains unchanged. Try a known good copy rather than editing a protected export.

Restoring preserves the destination device's current access and does not restart its welcome period. Use Restore purchases on the destination device to verify its own store access. An Epicalin grant must belong to that installation. Recovering an old snapshot cannot reactivate an expired or revoked grant.

15. Platform backup

Eligible private app data is configured for iCloud device backup and Android Auto Backup. Availability, timing, retention, encryption, quota, and restore are controlled by Apple or Google and your account settings. FieldNook cannot force a provider backup when it is disabled. Automatic recovery and exported backup remain separate protection paths.

16. Plans and prices

FieldNook Trail Pass Monthly has a $0.99 United States reference price. FieldNook Trail Pass Yearly has a $9.99 United States reference price. Both subscriptions offer a seven day trial when the store reports that you are eligible. FieldNook Forever Almanac is a one time purchase with a $29.99 United States reference price.

The app always displays the authoritative localized price and offer returned by Apple or Google before purchase. Monthly and yearly subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled in store account settings. Trial eligibility may depend on prior use. Deleting FieldNook does not cancel a subscription.

17. Paid capabilities

Trail Pass and Forever Almanac open every weekly quest path, replenish completed paths, and enable image, PDF, and text keepsake sharing. Standard access retains the rotating weekly pick, captured moments, saved cards, pins, favorites, badges, reflections, automatic recovery, and backups.

18. Purchase, pending payment, and cancellation

Select a plan in Drawer, then Access. Apple or Google shows the final confirmation interface. Paid features unlock only after the store reports a completed purchase. A pending purchase remains locked until the store confirms payment. Canceling the purchase screen changes nothing.

Manage subscription cancellation through App Store or Google Play account settings. Cancellation normally preserves access through the paid period. Refunds, account holds, grace periods, and family eligibility follow provider rules.

19. Restore purchases

Open Drawer, then Access, and select Restore purchases. FieldNook checks the store account signed in on that device. Apple purchases and Google purchases do not transfer across platforms because FieldNook has no Epicalin account. Existing private cards remain available if paid access expires.

20. Installation ID and Epicalin grants

Drawer, then Access, shows a random Installation ID in the installed iOS or Android app. Copy this ID only when Epicalin support needs to grant access to that installation. The ID does not contain hardware, account, payment, location, note, or media information. Device grants are additive and never cancel or replace a store purchase.

Authorized administrators manage individual grants in the protected Feedback Service console. Epicalin OS displays only aggregate FieldNook installation and grant counts and provides the protected administration link.

21. Review prompts

FieldNook may ask iOS or Android to show its standard rating interface only after at least three completed outdoor quests, at least seven days after the collection began, and directly after a successful quest completion. The app requests at most once per version and applies a local 120 day cooldown. The operating system or store decides whether to display the prompt. FieldNook does not ask how you feel first, interrupt first launch, offer a reward, gate access, or know whether you completed a rating. You can always choose Rate FieldNook in the app store from the Drawer to open the public store rating page yourself.

22. Reminders

FieldNook uses local notifications only. Reminders are off by default, and notification permission is requested in context only after you choose a reminder rhythm in the Drawer. You can choose one weekly cue or one weekly cue plus at most one gentle midweek nudge when no quest has been completed. Choose a local delivery time between 9 AM and 7:59 PM. FieldNook keeps quiet hours from 8 PM through 9 AM, cancels the current midweek nudge after a quest completion, schedules no paid upgrade or marketing notification, and refreshes only a bounded eight week local schedule. You can turn reminders off at any time. If system permission was denied, use Open system notification settings to recover. The app does not use remote push for reminders.

23. Support, feature requests, issues, and diagnostics

Open Drawer, then Help. Choose a request type and prepare a local draft. Optional diagnostics show only app version, build, platform, schema version, and item counts. They exclude notes, photos, videos, voice notes, location, and Installation ID.

Choose Continue to secure support to open fieldnook.app/contact/. The local message is not placed in the URL. Review the protected form, add optional contact details if you want a response or progress updates, complete human verification, and choose Send securely. You can also email support@epicalin.com. Do not include private field card content or sensitive information.

24. Accessibility

FieldNook supports platform text sizing, screen readers, keyboard navigation, switch focus, reduced motion, increased contrast, and forced color modes. Controls use visible text or accessible labels. Status changes use live regions. If an accessibility control is unclear or unreachable, report it through secure support.

25. Storage recovery

If local data is unreadable, FieldNook starts an empty safe view and leaves the malformed value untouched. Recover the newest verified automatic snapshot or restore a known good exported backup. If saving fails, free device storage and try again.

26. Delete data

Delete FieldNook through the platform to remove its local container, including automatic snapshots and the local Installation ID, subject to platform backup retention. Delete exported backup and keepsake copies separately wherever you placed them. Contact support@epicalin.com to request deletion of a support submission or inactive Installation ID record held by Epicalin.

27. Troubleshooting

If plans do not appear, confirm that the build came from the correct store, the store account is connected, and internet access is available. If paid access does not refresh, use Restore purchases. If manual access does not refresh, confirm connectivity and send the Installation ID to support. If a share fails, choose another eligible destination. If media cannot be captured, review the app permission in system settings. If a reminder does not appear, review notification permission and Focus settings.

For additional help, visit https://fieldnook.app/support/ or email support@epicalin.com.