Help & Support

Subscriptions are managed by Apple, so you cancel on your iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions.
3. Tap Rockbud, then Cancel Subscription (or Cancel Free Trial).

You can also get there from Rockbud: Settings › Manage subscription.

Cancel at least 24 hours before your trial or current period ends to avoid the next charge. After you cancel, you keep access until the end of the time you've already paid for. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.

The yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial. If you allow notifications, we remind you on day 5, two days before it ends. If you don't cancel, the yearly subscription ($19.99 in the US, shareable with your family) starts on day 7. The monthly plan ($3.99 in the US) has no free trial. Before subscribing you can also try 3 real scans free. Free trials are for new subscribers, as determined by Apple.

1. Make sure you're signed in with the same Apple Account you used to subscribe.
2. Open Rockbud, go to Settings and tap Restore purchases. You'll also find Restore on the subscription screen.

Your subscription works on any iPhone signed in to that Apple Account. Your collection follows you too, through iCloud; see "Where is my collection stored?" below.

Apple handles all payments and refunds; we never see your payment details, so we can't refund you directly. Request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in, choose the Rockbud charge and select "Request a refund". Apple decides refund requests.

Yes, a generous one, so the service stays fast and affordable: up to 40 scans a day, including during the free trial. Limits reset every 24 hours.

• Use daylight. Indirect daylight is best; avoid harsh shadows and coloured indoor lights.
• One rock per photo, filling most of the frame, on a plain background.
• Get close and sharp. Tap to focus so the surface texture and crystals are crisp.
• Wet it. A splash of water brings out true colours and patterns, especially on beach and river stones.
• Show a fresh face. A clean, broken surface tells far more than a weathered outside.
• Try another angle if the confidence is low, or scan a different side.

Rockbud uses AI to identify rocks from a photo, and it does best with clear photos of common rocks and minerals. But a photo can't show everything: many minerals look nearly identical, and polished, dyed or fake stones (glass, plastic, treated or lab-grown) can fool any camera. That's why every result shows:

• a confidence level, so you know how sure it is;
• "Could also be" look-alikes, with how to tell them apart;
• a "Confirm it" test (streak, scratch, magnet or fizz) you can do at home.

Think of a result as a well-informed starting point. For anything important, check with a field guide, a local rock club, a museum or a geologist.

Try the suggested "Confirm it" test, and rescan in daylight from a different side. If it's still wrong, email us the photo and what you believe it is. We use reports like this to improve how Rockbud explains and checks its answers. (We don't use your photos to train AI models.)

A value range is a rough estimate for a typical specimen of that material, with a short explanation. It isn't an appraisal: size, quality, treatment, locality and demand can change prices a lot. Before selling, insuring or buying something valuable, ask a qualified appraiser or a reputable dealer.

They're simple tests geologists use every day, but use common sense: supervise kids, wear eye protection when scratching or breaking rocks, use only household vinegar for the fizz test, and wash your hands afterwards. Never lick, eat or heat an unknown mineral, or make "crystal water" with it. Some minerals are toxic, and a photo-based ID can't prove a stone is safe.

If you told Bud you collect crystals, results can include the traditional meanings and folklore behind a stone: its history, names and the beliefs people have held about it. It's shared as tradition and culture, not as health or medical advice.

Your collection (photos, results, notes and favourites) is stored on your iPhone and is never uploaded to us. If you're signed in to iCloud, it also backs up to your own iCloud and syncs to every iPhone signed in to the same Apple Account, including a new phone: install Rockbud, open it, and your finds arrive in a minute or two. We never see that copy.

Not syncing? Check that you're signed in to iCloud (iPhone Settings › your name), that Back up finds to iCloud is on in Rockbud's Settings (the line under it says what's happening), and that your iCloud storage isn't full. A change to that switch applies the next time you open Rockbud. Sync covers devices on the same Apple Account; it doesn't share finds between family members' accounts. With backup off, your collection stays on that phone only (it's still in your normal iPhone backup), and deleting the app deletes it.

To identify a rock, the photo is sent securely to our server, which passes it to an AI service (Google's Gemini, on a paid plan) and returns the result. Our server doesn't keep your photo, and it isn't used to train AI. There's no account, no ads and no tracking. The full details are in our Privacy Policy.

No. There's no sign-up or login. Your subscription is tied to your Apple Account by Apple.

Go to iPhone Settings › Notifications › Rockbud and turn off Allow Notifications. The trial reminder is the only notification Rockbud sends.

You can browse your collection offline, but identifying a new rock needs an internet connection. Out in the field without signal? Take the photo with your camera and scan it from your photo library later.