Every view, made better - and "How are they related?" rebuilt
- "How are they related?" now takes any two names and answers both ways ("Ani is Sarkis's great-aunt" and "Sarkis is Ani's great-nephew"), including in-laws, half-siblings and step-family. It shows the people who connect them, and "Show on tree" lights up the path.
- Pedigree, Descendants, Fan chart, Timeline and List were rebuilt. Tap anyone in any view to see their details and jump to their ancestors or descendants.
- Descendants uses the new tree layout with fold-away branches. Pedigree only shows the ancestors you've recorded - no more walls of "Unknown" boxes. The fan chart fits full names and comes as a half, three-quarter or full circle.
- Timeline shows unknown dates as a fading bar instead of a guess, groups by generation or surname, and links to everyone who's still missing dates in List.
- Linking someone who's already in your tree is now a search box: type any part of their name instead of scrolling a long list.
- Cleaner lines: parents always sit above their children, long lines no longer run behind other cards, and selecting someone lights up only their own line.
- Every view fits your phone, and turning it sideways gives the tree the whole screen - handy for showing it on a TV.
- We retired the Cosmos and Poster views to focus on the ones families use most.
A cleaner, easier tree view
- The tree screen was rebuilt: parents sit right above their children, brothers and sisters stay side by side, and people who married in sit on the outside, so far fewer lines cross.
- Fold away branches: tap the small "−" under a couple to tuck everyone below them into a "+12" chip, and tap it again to bring them back. Folded branches are remembered on your device, and search still finds everyone.
- Names stay readable as you zoom out, big trees open centered on your family, and picking someone from search glides you right to them.
- New "Stack siblings" button (off by default) lines up brothers and sisters without families of their own in a short column, so wide trees get narrower.
Show maiden names
- New "Include maiden name" setting in My Account shows names as Maiden-Last (Sarah Jessica-Parker).
- It only changes how names look for you - nobody's record changes.
Smoother uploads
- Photos upload one at a time with a counter ("Uploading 2 of 5"), so one bad file no longer stops the whole batch.
- Files that are too big are flagged right away instead of failing with a confusing error.
Your tree works offline, plus a Support page
- Trees and pages you've opened before still open without an internet connection, read-only. A small banner tells you you're offline and editing is paused.
- A new Support page answers common questions and tells you how to reach us.
Notifications and phone-friendly views
- Turn on notifications in My Account to hear when a relative accepts your invite and joins your tree.
- Pedigree, Descendants, Fan chart and Timeline support pinch-to-zoom and one-finger dragging on phones and tablets.
- A small dot on a person's card shows they have a photo.
Mark a divorce
- Couples are treated as married unless you say otherwise. Open a person and tap "mark divorced" next to a partner ("mark as married" undoes it).
- Divorced couples are drawn with a dashed line.
Family Photos
- Upload old family photos to a private album on your tree, several at once, with a caption, the date taken and notes - like the back of a printed photo.
- Tag the faces: click a face, then pick the person from your tree or type a name. Open a relative to see every photo they're in.
- Add a portrait to anyone in your tree, and rotate photos that came in sideways.
- A feedback button in the tree toolbar sends your ideas and problems straight to us.
Delete your account
- You can delete your account from My Account; we email you a confirmation link first.
- For each tree you own that others help with, you choose whether to hand it to a collaborator or delete it. Trees you only helped on stay with their owners.
Export your tree for AI
- Download your tree as a JSON file from the Export section of the tree panel.
- Drop it into ChatGPT or another AI to spot gaps, summarize a branch or find patterns - the file explains itself, so no setup is needed.
A friendlier start
- New members get a welcome email with next steps, and a few tips a few days later.
- Relatives you invited who haven't joined after a few days get one friendly reminder.
- After you add or link someone, the tree takes you right to their card so you can keep building.
Stay in the loop
- A daily email at 6pm your time sums up what relatives changed in your trees - only when something changed, never your own edits. Turn it off in My Account or with one click from the email.
- When a relative edits the tree you have open, it updates by itself with a short "Alice just made 3 changes" note.
FamilyTreeIQ launches
- Build your tree on one big canvas: add parents, children and partners from any card, drag or pinch to move around, and search by name.
- Open anyone to see their parents, partners, children, ancestors and descendants, plus a history of who changed what.
- Invite relatives by email as editors (can add and change people) or viewers (look only), talk in the tree's comments and follow its recent activity.
- Switch to Pedigree, Descendants, Fan chart, Timeline or List, or find how two people are related.
- Import a GEDCOM file from Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch and others, and export yours any time.
Have an idea?
Much of what's above started as a family asking for it. Use the feedback button in your tree's toolbar, or email us.
mail Send us an idea