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Ancestry: Family History & DNA

Ancestry: Family History & DNA

Ancestry.com

Build family tree & discover DNA, family history heritage, origins and ancestors

Google Play Free In-App Purchases App Store Free In-App Purchases
4.5 Ratings 392K+ Reviews 5M+ Downloads

Ratings & Reviews

4.5
391.7K+ Ratings
5
77+%
4
12+%
3
4+%
2
2+%
1
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  • img Community
    We seem to be busy 24/7 which, in turn, can alienate us from our loved ones. Spend some quality time with your grandparents or let your little ones connect with their's by telling stories and discovering new information about the family's heritage.
    img by David
    2 years ago
  • img Community
    7 years ago I found my biological family. My biological sister told me about the ancestry website and I have since downloaded this app. So much better!
    img by George
    1 year ago
  • img Expert
    1. Search the largest database of historical photos, stories, documents, and even records in your ancestors’ mother tongues
    2. Ancestry Hints™ technology searches billions of records for you. Connect with family to grow your tree and share your findings
    3. Upload photos and life events right from your phone, or add relatives from Facebook. Sync instantly with your Ancestry.com tree

  • Ethnic Background Research Update Apr 24, 2020

    By JustinDavine
    Love this app. It was amazing for me to learn that I have ancestors across 3 different continents when I did the DNA test. The “Thrulines” feature is amazing too but I would like to suggest in future updates that there can be some way to search for DNA matches that share varying percentages of ethnic backgrounds. I am very interested in connecting the dots with the Latino side of my family and finding out if possible where I can trace my African heritage as well. Since I have nearly 100,000 DNA matches and not even close to half of the people have pictures associated with their profile, it is hard to tell what ethnic backgrounds are shared with people without clicking individually on every profile. If there was a way to show any or all DNA matches who have, say, more than “10% total Sub-Saharan African and/or 25% Central American” that would be REALLY helpful in potentially connecting dots and further filling in my family tree. I would love to find where those connections are but it is really hard to do without a filter in the search that allows you to bring up DNA matches with people in specific categories. Thanks for your help! I really hope this is a feature you guys will be able to add in the future.

  • Dna section not working properly Sep 8, 2019

    By JingleCat
    Update: working much better! Old: Let me start with the positive: the tree section is lovely, helpful, works well, and I love it. Now, the negative: the DNA section, which updated on the 1 July is not great. It is set up similar to the website, but please consider that apps are used on devices, such as a phone. The DNA section has become a behemoth if information, difficult to manage or view, crashes if you try and look at Cousin matches for a second person... it used to be quite simple and elegant with the 11 generation view, and option but not requirement to open other users’ entire trees. How can I possibly appreciate their full multi- thousand tree of information on my iPhone? I hate to complain, I use the Ancestry app daily. Some people do crosswords or sudoku. I work on the family tree, it’s my favorite puzzle. I just wish I could use the DNA cousins’ section with ease, but it seems to have become way too huge to appreciate as a simple task in bed or during down time, with the phone. It has become a project strictly for sitting at my computer. Is there any chance to make it more convenient for device use? It’s an app, after all. Thanks :)

  • Unlocking My Past Aug 5, 2018

    By cmsmyer
    Ancestry has been a joy to explore. I first started my tree several years ago, but had suspended my membership for lack of time to devote to the project. Earlier this year I decided to explore my genetic history through AncestryDNA, so wanted to continue my tree as well. I’ve been thrilled with the enhancements the site has made in the intervening years. It’s been even easier to connect the family dots through the system of ‘hints’ provided by the app. Each time I feel I’ve begun to hit a wall, a new hint is revealed that keeps me going. I’m also pleased with how the genetic app is enhancing my search. I have barely begun to explore the many connections that submitting my DNA revealed. As just a beginning, I can engage any person who is 4th cousin or closer - and who chooses to keep their connection open as well. What I’m most looking forward to is searching for all those Scandinavian relations that make up a full third of my DNA. I had no idea there was any measurable Norse blood in my past! I really am pleased with Ancestry, and AncestryDNA, and have only scratched the surface of the app’s many features and my past.

  • Good App, Convenient Feb 21, 2019

    By BlooDude
    I really appreciate the convenience of being able to do ancestry on my phone! It makes it so easy to hop on and do a few leaves between activities. The app works well, but with a few issues. Occasionally, when trying to view something with a photo/attachment, it will say I need a paid account to view it, but usually when I go back and then click on it again, it works. Also, there are a few hints that take you to a website that you have to pay to be a member, just to see if that hint is the person in your tree (e.g. family search); I always skip those hints. Thirdly, a few hints always mess up no matter how many times you try to accept them; it just says something went wrong; try again later. (I’ve noticed this with newspaper articles.) I only give 4 stars because the census pictures only show you one page, whereas on the PC you can click to view the next page or previous page. Often the family is split between two pages, and I can’t confirm anything that is not on the page that it chooses to show me. If this were changed, I could give 5 stars, though those other problems still need addressed too.

  • I have a tree with over 2000 people Dec 19, 2019

    By Photogrphr
    If you are interested in the genealogy of your family this app will do it. But the full price of the app is way too high and the claim of newspaper artifacts is quite limited. If your ancestors come from Russia and your Jewish you will not be able to get further back than 1860. Assuming that your family came here in the very early 1900’s. My son in law is from German decent and I could trace his family back to 1675 when they came here as early settlers of Ohio, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Everyone in my family did ancestry DNA and it we found it very interesting. I had thought we were the only family with our last name in the America but with the DNA and matches I found that another family with my last name settled in Chicago around the same time my grandfather came. This I am sure of because I am a match for at least on of that clan. But I cannot figure out how we are related because the answer to that is in the small towns in Russia where the Jews were persecuted by the tzar and forced them to immigrate to the US. Instead of five stars I put four because I think they mislead me with the “all access” when it really isn’t “all access”

  • Jun 13, 2022

    By Chavon Murphy
    Yes it does cost money to get more information, but the more you know the you can see. The part that is free(even with the new update) I can actually see the names of the country my ancestors came from. Before I couldn't see the names just shapes. I do wish that they would make things easier by touching/clicking on a country to see more of what it looks like. More history on that country so I wouldn't have to have two windows open googling the location and history.

  • Found Tons of information& Even my birth Father Dec 11, 2018

    By BrndaM
    It’s the best gift, I received in my life. For my 62 Birthday my son purchased me a kit. While I waited for my results, I began creating my tree. The app was easier to use than it looks and it took no time at all to master navigating my tree. Then the results arrived and wow it was unbelievable. I never knew my birth/biological father so it was interesting seeing possible relatives. But I didn’t have the nerve to contact them, so I stuck to my mom’s tree & adopted father, then tackled my husbands side exploring leaves. Then one day I had a message in my mailbox and it a matter of minutes I had my first contact with a Second Cousin .... that contact confirmed we’re relatives and although my birth father is deceased, I have Aunts, Uncles, sisters & brothers and of course tons of cousin to reach out to! Perhaps I’m one of the lucky few that find relatives, for that I’m thankful for AncestryDNA. It’s a great app and became a new hobby for a recently retired grandma. With the help of AncestryDNA we may have just figured out my next “Heritage” vacation spot.

  • Ethnic Background Research Update Apr 24, 2020

    By JustinDavine
    Love this app. It was amazing for me to learn that I have ancestors across 3 different continents when I did the DNA test. The “Thrulines” feature is amazing too but I would like to suggest in future updates that there can be some way to search for DNA matches that share varying percentages of ethnic backgrounds. I am very interested in connecting the dots with the Latino side of my family and finding out if possible where I can trace my African heritage as well. Since I have nearly 100,000 DNA matches and not even close to half of the people have pictures associated with their profile, it is hard to tell what ethnic backgrounds are shared with people without clicking individually on every profile. If there was a way to show any or all DNA matches who have, say, more than “10% total Sub-Saharan African and/or 25% Central American” that would be REALLY helpful in potentially connecting dots and further filling in my family tree. I would love to find where those connections are but it is really hard to do without a filter in the search that allows you to bring up DNA matches with people in specific categories. Thanks for your help! I really hope this is a feature you guys will be able to add in the future.

  • Dna section not working properly Sep 8, 2019

    By JingleCat
    Update: working much better! Old: Let me start with the positive: the tree section is lovely, helpful, works well, and I love it. Now, the negative: the DNA section, which updated on the 1 July is not great. It is set up similar to the website, but please consider that apps are used on devices, such as a phone. The DNA section has become a behemoth if information, difficult to manage or view, crashes if you try and look at Cousin matches for a second person... it used to be quite simple and elegant with the 11 generation view, and option but not requirement to open other users’ entire trees. How can I possibly appreciate their full multi- thousand tree of information on my iPhone? I hate to complain, I use the Ancestry app daily. Some people do crosswords or sudoku. I work on the family tree, it’s my favorite puzzle. I just wish I could use the DNA cousins’ section with ease, but it seems to have become way too huge to appreciate as a simple task in bed or during down time, with the phone. It has become a project strictly for sitting at my computer. Is there any chance to make it more convenient for device use? It’s an app, after all. Thanks :)

  • Unlocking My Past Aug 5, 2018

    By cmsmyer
    Ancestry has been a joy to explore. I first started my tree several years ago, but had suspended my membership for lack of time to devote to the project. Earlier this year I decided to explore my genetic history through AncestryDNA, so wanted to continue my tree as well. I’ve been thrilled with the enhancements the site has made in the intervening years. It’s been even easier to connect the family dots through the system of ‘hints’ provided by the app. Each time I feel I’ve begun to hit a wall, a new hint is revealed that keeps me going. I’m also pleased with how the genetic app is enhancing my search. I have barely begun to explore the many connections that submitting my DNA revealed. As just a beginning, I can engage any person who is 4th cousin or closer - and who chooses to keep their connection open as well. What I’m most looking forward to is searching for all those Scandinavian relations that make up a full third of my DNA. I had no idea there was any measurable Norse blood in my past! I really am pleased with Ancestry, and AncestryDNA, and have only scratched the surface of the app’s many features and my past.

  • Good App, Convenient Feb 21, 2019

    By BlooDude
    I really appreciate the convenience of being able to do ancestry on my phone! It makes it so easy to hop on and do a few leaves between activities. The app works well, but with a few issues. Occasionally, when trying to view something with a photo/attachment, it will say I need a paid account to view it, but usually when I go back and then click on it again, it works. Also, there are a few hints that take you to a website that you have to pay to be a member, just to see if that hint is the person in your tree (e.g. family search); I always skip those hints. Thirdly, a few hints always mess up no matter how many times you try to accept them; it just says something went wrong; try again later. (I’ve noticed this with newspaper articles.) I only give 4 stars because the census pictures only show you one page, whereas on the PC you can click to view the next page or previous page. Often the family is split between two pages, and I can’t confirm anything that is not on the page that it chooses to show me. If this were changed, I could give 5 stars, though those other problems still need addressed too.

  • I have a tree with over 2000 people Dec 19, 2019

    By Photogrphr
    If you are interested in the genealogy of your family this app will do it. But the full price of the app is way too high and the claim of newspaper artifacts is quite limited. If your ancestors come from Russia and your Jewish you will not be able to get further back than 1860. Assuming that your family came here in the very early 1900’s. My son in law is from German decent and I could trace his family back to 1675 when they came here as early settlers of Ohio, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Everyone in my family did ancestry DNA and it we found it very interesting. I had thought we were the only family with our last name in the America but with the DNA and matches I found that another family with my last name settled in Chicago around the same time my grandfather came. This I am sure of because I am a match for at least on of that clan. But I cannot figure out how we are related because the answer to that is in the small towns in Russia where the Jews were persecuted by the tzar and forced them to immigrate to the US. Instead of five stars I put four because I think they mislead me with the “all access” when it really isn’t “all access”

  • Jun 13, 2022

    By Chavon Murphy
    Yes it does cost money to get more information, but the more you know the you can see. The part that is free(even with the new update) I can actually see the names of the country my ancestors came from. Before I couldn't see the names just shapes. I do wish that they would make things easier by touching/clicking on a country to see more of what it looks like. More history on that country so I wouldn't have to have two windows open googling the location and history.

  • Found Tons of information& Even my birth Father Dec 11, 2018

    By BrndaM
    It’s the best gift, I received in my life. For my 62 Birthday my son purchased me a kit. While I waited for my results, I began creating my tree. The app was easier to use than it looks and it took no time at all to master navigating my tree. Then the results arrived and wow it was unbelievable. I never knew my birth/biological father so it was interesting seeing possible relatives. But I didn’t have the nerve to contact them, so I stuck to my mom’s tree & adopted father, then tackled my husbands side exploring leaves. Then one day I had a message in my mailbox and it a matter of minutes I had my first contact with a Second Cousin .... that contact confirmed we’re relatives and although my birth father is deceased, I have Aunts, Uncles, sisters & brothers and of course tons of cousin to reach out to! Perhaps I’m one of the lucky few that find relatives, for that I’m thankful for AncestryDNA. It’s a great app and became a new hobby for a recently retired grandma. With the help of AncestryDNA we may have just figured out my next “Heritage” vacation spot.

  • Hope O Creasman Dec 9, 2018

    By Speak Little
    I have used Ancestry since its inception. As a previous person stated, At first it was lacking records, but now it is amazing. If they could make the search where it would narrow down some more, because looking through 2,000 or more and having people come up who are in the 1900s when you want the late 1700s is very aggravating to me. Surely if you put the date of 1768, why are 1970s people showing up. Same with state, if I put SC and California is shown, I wonder why did I even put South Carolina, But I have to admit it does give you much more accurate information. And the DNA information amazes me. If the new ones would put their trees online and the stubborn old ones not keep everything to themselves, especially when you have given them information. Especially on the pictures. I have so many to identify and Rosa or Jose is from the same family, but they won’t share. However ancestry has really added to my knowledge and I know it will get better and better because it already has. It is sad to me because I won’t be around to see what’s to come. (I am 73.) So if you want to know is it worth it? I say a definite YES.

  • Feb 8, 2020

    By A Google user
    The app is very limited compared to the website, which isn't the greatest either. The graphs are very spread out meaning a lot of scrolling. When looking at sources it won't show you a summary of the person's info alongside so you have to remember which can be tough when working with a lot of people. It also caches everything and is very, very slow to refresh when you have made updates elsewhere. There is no way to force a refresh that I can find.

  • A wonderful way to find your history Sep 23, 2019

    By lkldraft
    I have used this app for five years on iPhones, iPads and computers. I never had to start over or begin a "new tree" because you log in and you information is secure. I love this app for several reasons the first being I have learned so much about the heroes in my family. I can see the struggles, how wars have affected family members. I found living relatives I never knew. The only problem I have is that duplicates still form too easily but the correction process has been simplified. Every update has made corrections easier to do. You can add pictures, obits notes and they automatically add historical facts to make your ancestors come to life. A ‘Warning’ though this can be addictive! Con- even if you have paid for records after having a membership for years once you discontinue or pause your membership you cannot access digital scans of records. You can however see you have the record as well as see the “detail” of the record.
See all positive reviews

  • Jun 8, 2022

    By Kat
    I'll be cancelling my subscription until you can work out the bugs more. It still kicks you back to the home person, then freezes, crashes and you have to reboot app...over and over. Worse yet, for the last month it won't let me save any pictures or stories from other members to my tree...half the reason for paying such an insane price in the first place. Now, in addition to this, after updating the app last night it won't let me manually add any facts to the timeline of family profiles.

  • Website is better, all access membership isn’t worth it! Aug 25, 2021

    By HazeltheBasil
    I love ancestry, the things i’ve discovered are an amazing gift to my family. That said, the app version leaves much to be desired. The website allows you to connect with other members, view their profiles and trees (member trees are the most helpful feature on Ancestry), and send pictures. That only scratches the surface when it comes to all the goodness you’re missing out on if you use the app over the website. Additionally, the app glitches. If you delete someone on the tree it will reload you back to your home person, and often when you try to accept hints it will save the wrong one (or save one multiple times. As for the membership, while expensive they are worth it. I do think that the first or second are the best (though depending on which part of the world you want the international records from it might not help). I find that FamilySearch works better for international records, and Ancestry works best for US records. All access is basically a scam. All the newspaper article you want to look at (i truly mean ALL of the ones for my relatives) are behind another paywall. additionally the Fold3 records are largely already available on the ancestry website (draft cards, hospital admissions etc). Keep your 1st-2nd tier ancestry membership then get the higher level newspaper membership separately.

  • May 30, 2022

    By Chelsea Busch
    Although I love the app itself. I'm frustrated with the complication between subscriptions. This weekend I got an email saying I could upgrade my subscription to include newspaper and a couple others for a deal. I was extremely excited but when I tried it kept giving me an error code. After a couple attempts I reached out to a tech support who informed me since I bought ancestry through the app I couldn't upgrade but instead would have to cancel and then retry, but still no luck.

  • May 20, 2022

    By Scott Rhodes
    Wonderful app. Perfect. Cohesive and beautiful use of data. Unfortunatley it is way too cost prohibitive. If you want $30-40/mo it needs to be for the whole family - similar to how you can share your Netflix account. I would pay $4-9/mo to have my own account. It's ridiculous for my mother to be paying $30/mo to explore the same family tree I am paying $30/mo for. I assume that cost of scale would result in better profits if you allowed for account sharing or lower the subscription price.

  • May 25, 2022

    By Kev M
    The app has a long-term glitch where you cannot access your photo library (you can only take a live shot, selecting photo library does NOTHING, even with permissions enabled on my device). Also, every action comes with spam from Ancestry in the app trying to force you to BUY, BUY BUY! Kinda makes the experience feel cheap and question whether data you pay for is even credible.

  • Mar 26, 2022

    By Liz M
    It was great, then it wasn't, then it was fixed, but now this new update, from yesterday 3/24/22, really messed it up again. It's doing the same thing it used to, going straight back to my starting person instead of keeping me where I was working in my tree when I open the app. It also isn't showing birth and death dates that I update, it's deleting them. It's not keeping my changes when I change some one from living to dead. Your update introduced a number of bugs again. I use this everyday 😑

  • Mar 1, 2022

    By Bryan M
    The exuberant prices are ridiculous, really. So are the predatory subscription "agreements." There's really no reason this should cost more than $5/month. $25 a month (6 month contract) and early $25 fee to cancel. Crazy. It's a database. There are no concrete services we're getting other than info. We get more at a local library.

  • May 5, 2022

    By M J-Y
    More convenient in general than logging into the website proper, but there is a great deal of room for improvement with regards to consistent functionality. There's that ongoing issue with intermittent, random "Missing" ethnicities for DNA matches, plus ever since the update a couple days ago, custom groups and accepted/ignored hints are no longer refreshing instantaneously in the app. You also have to use the website proper for basic functions, like fixing incorrect relationships in your trees.

  • Apr 17, 2019

    By A Google user
    Update: Almost unusable at this point, freezing and so buggy. The app has always been extremely buggy, Ive had it for a long time. Right now the hints keep saying they are down and can't be viewed. This type of issue is typical. A lot of records have multiple pages but you can only view one, unlike the website where you can click over to the next page. So you can miss a lot of info. It crashes a lot or just freezes. Its ok for quick reference and superficial work.

  • Membership Purchase DOES NOT WORK in the App Nov 20, 2019

    By Seventh fret
    The App is a scam! 😩😡🤬. You risk losing money! They tempt you with a few days free trial and charge your credit card. When your free trial ends, Ancestry deactivates your account so you can no longer see images of documents even though your card has been changed. To get your money back you have to deal with Apple. I have had an Ancestry account for years, but only activate it occasionally for a few months to see if any new information is available. This time I made the mistake of activating it through the app using Apple Pay. The app worked okay for me. If you are using an iPad, the app is more convenient than the site on Safari; however, there are a few things that can only be done on the website (e.g. inviting others to your tree if your tree is private). Occasionally the app locks up and loses connection when you try to add files to your gallery. But the main problem is activating your account through the app, especially along with the free trial offer. If you want an active membership, activate it through the website even though you will not get the free trial. Otherwise, you risk a lot of headaches trying to get a refund when Ancestry doesn’t honor your purchase at the end of the free trial.
See all negative reviews
  • img Community
    We seem to be busy 24/7 which, in turn, can alienate us from our loved ones. Spend some quality time with your grandparents or let your little ones connect with their's by telling stories and discovering new information about the family's heritage.
    img by David
    2 years ago
  • img Community
    7 years ago I found my biological family. My biological sister told me about the ancestry website and I have since downloaded this app. So much better!
    img by George
    1 year ago
See All Community Reviews
  • img Expert
    1. Search the largest database of historical photos, stories, documents, and even records in your ancestors’ mother tongues
    2. Ancestry Hints™ technology searches billions of records for you. Connect with family to grow your tree and share your findings
    3. Upload photos and life events right from your phone, or add relatives from Facebook. Sync instantly with your Ancestry.com tree
See All Expert Reviews

  • Ethnic Background Research Update Apr 24, 2020

    By JustinDavine
    Love this app. It was amazing for me to learn that I have ancestors across 3 different continents when I did the DNA test. The “Thrulines” feature is amazing too but I would like to suggest in future updates that there can be some way to search for DNA matches that share varying percentages of ethnic backgrounds. I am very interested in connecting the dots with the Latino side of my family and finding out if possible where I can trace my African heritage as well. Since I have nearly 100,000 DNA matches and not even close to half of the people have pictures associated with their profile, it is hard to tell what ethnic backgrounds are shared with people without clicking individually on every profile. If there was a way to show any or all DNA matches who have, say, more than “10% total Sub-Saharan African and/or 25% Central American” that would be REALLY helpful in potentially connecting dots and further filling in my family tree. I would love to find where those connections are but it is really hard to do without a filter in the search that allows you to bring up DNA matches with people in specific categories. Thanks for your help! I really hope this is a feature you guys will be able to add in the future.

  • Dna section not working properly Sep 8, 2019

    By JingleCat
    Update: working much better! Old: Let me start with the positive: the tree section is lovely, helpful, works well, and I love it. Now, the negative: the DNA section, which updated on the 1 July is not great. It is set up similar to the website, but please consider that apps are used on devices, such as a phone. The DNA section has become a behemoth if information, difficult to manage or view, crashes if you try and look at Cousin matches for a second person... it used to be quite simple and elegant with the 11 generation view, and option but not requirement to open other users’ entire trees. How can I possibly appreciate their full multi- thousand tree of information on my iPhone? I hate to complain, I use the Ancestry app daily. Some people do crosswords or sudoku. I work on the family tree, it’s my favorite puzzle. I just wish I could use the DNA cousins’ section with ease, but it seems to have become way too huge to appreciate as a simple task in bed or during down time, with the phone. It has become a project strictly for sitting at my computer. Is there any chance to make it more convenient for device use? It’s an app, after all. Thanks :)

  • Unlocking My Past Aug 5, 2018

    By cmsmyer
    Ancestry has been a joy to explore. I first started my tree several years ago, but had suspended my membership for lack of time to devote to the project. Earlier this year I decided to explore my genetic history through AncestryDNA, so wanted to continue my tree as well. I’ve been thrilled with the enhancements the site has made in the intervening years. It’s been even easier to connect the family dots through the system of ‘hints’ provided by the app. Each time I feel I’ve begun to hit a wall, a new hint is revealed that keeps me going. I’m also pleased with how the genetic app is enhancing my search. I have barely begun to explore the many connections that submitting my DNA revealed. As just a beginning, I can engage any person who is 4th cousin or closer - and who chooses to keep their connection open as well. What I’m most looking forward to is searching for all those Scandinavian relations that make up a full third of my DNA. I had no idea there was any measurable Norse blood in my past! I really am pleased with Ancestry, and AncestryDNA, and have only scratched the surface of the app’s many features and my past.

  • Found Tons of information& Even my birth Father Dec 11, 2018

    By BrndaM
    It’s the best gift, I received in my life. For my 62 Birthday my son purchased me a kit. While I waited for my results, I began creating my tree. The app was easier to use than it looks and it took no time at all to master navigating my tree. Then the results arrived and wow it was unbelievable. I never knew my birth/biological father so it was interesting seeing possible relatives. But I didn’t have the nerve to contact them, so I stuck to my mom’s tree & adopted father, then tackled my husbands side exploring leaves. Then one day I had a message in my mailbox and it a matter of minutes I had my first contact with a Second Cousin .... that contact confirmed we’re relatives and although my birth father is deceased, I have Aunts, Uncles, sisters & brothers and of course tons of cousin to reach out to! Perhaps I’m one of the lucky few that find relatives, for that I’m thankful for AncestryDNA. It’s a great app and became a new hobby for a recently retired grandma. With the help of AncestryDNA we may have just figured out my next “Heritage” vacation spot.

  • A wonderful way to find your history Sep 23, 2019

    By lkldraft
    I have used this app for five years on iPhones, iPads and computers. I never had to start over or begin a "new tree" because you log in and you information is secure. I love this app for several reasons the first being I have learned so much about the heroes in my family. I can see the struggles, how wars have affected family members. I found living relatives I never knew. The only problem I have is that duplicates still form too easily but the correction process has been simplified. Every update has made corrections easier to do. You can add pictures, obits notes and they automatically add historical facts to make your ancestors come to life. A ‘Warning’ though this can be addictive! Con- even if you have paid for records after having a membership for years once you discontinue or pause your membership you cannot access digital scans of records. You can however see you have the record as well as see the “detail” of the record.

  • Absolutely Fabulous! Sep 24, 2018

    By Lorieann77
    I got bit by the ancestry bug in 2009 before I became a member. What started this for me was learning all I could about my great grandfather (my moms dads father.). Great grandpa left the home when my grandpa was three years old no one knew too much about him. Before becoming a member I was able to locate the him and within three weeks I actually drove to a rural cemetery and found his grave!! I was also able to find history. A few years ago I joined Ancestry as a full member and absolutely love it! My family tree, maternal and paternal, goes back for some to the 1500s. Two years ago I did the AncestryDNA (the reports were just updated recently as well!) I can attest to the fact they are accurate because I know where a lot of my family came from and the DNA members it matched me to are relatives, some I know (but didn’t realize they were members.) Totally fascinating and soul fulfilling to know where my people came from know what blood runs through my veins. Rock on Ancestry! I’m hooked ❤️👍🏽

  • AncectryDNA Nov 12, 2019

    By Layton Granny
    I have been working on my family history for over 50 years and have accomplished quite a lot. Then, a couple of years ago I discovered Ancestry and am amazed about how much easier it is to do everything. Yes, there are quirks, as there are in every program, but this one is wonderful. I recently decided to have my DNA done, but was too suspicious to give Ancestry all of the information ahead of time, so I used a different e-mail address for my DNA kit, to see if they would be able to come up with the information I have on my charts (back to the 1500s in most cases). I was totally amazed that they pinned all of my ancestors down to the exact areas I was expecting them to be from, including the Jewish ancestor that is on my chart 4-5 generations back. ABSOLUTELY recommend this program. It is very addicting to do family history and this program makes it even easier with the very helpful and accurate hints. Thanks to all of the programmers!

  • My Fathers greatest wish came true, then he died May 21, 2020

    By DinaSangs
    My Father’s one and only wish was to one day know someone from his Mothers side of the family. She died when he was five. We spent many years traveling the state of Texas looking for anyone that know anything about his Mother. He sent his DNA to Ancestry and we waited... and waited.. and waited, until one day, there was a match, Mercedes. I saw that her Grandfathers name was Alfredo Alviar Chavez and flipped out!!! I sent her a message through the Ancestry app. and explained who I was and that we have been looking for years and years for anyone related to My fathers Mother’s side of the family. I gave her my email address and hoped she would answer. She quickly responded by sending an email to me and we were immediately connected. She was blown away that we knew so many details about her Grandfather. It did t take us long to get together. They came to visit on Labor Day weekend 2019. We had 3 glorious days to talk and laugh and cry. My Father was the happiest Man in the world. Then on September 19, my Father passed away. His name was Guadalupe Ibarra. He died a happy man. God kept his word and brought to pass the one and only piece of the puzzle left. Thank you Ancestry for making it possible. Without you, he would never have met his beautiful cousins, children of his uncle Alfredo, my Fathers Mother, Francisca’s little brother. What a wonderful world!!! Thank you, Dina Joy Lawrence Proud daughter of Guadalupe Ibarra

  • Not Ready for Prime Time Aug 13, 2019

    By tmccabejr
    Unlike Reunion, this app requires a constant internet connection to display a tree. Nothing really resides on the iPhone other than a link to your online Ancestry tree. So, from a practical point showing your tree to family members around a dinner table, or while researching in a library, or many other places where a signal isn't always available - that soaks up battery time also - is extremely limited. With Reunion my tree fully resides on the iPhone - period. The fact that this Ancestry app is "free" to paying members is great - the fact that it's crippled and mostly useless speaks to the price value as well as what Ancestry thinks of its customers. Suggestion - charge a couple of bucks and have the full GEDCOM load on the iPhone and present in a Family Tree Maker format. Even if it isn't as fully featured, you'll make a return on invest in both money and added customer good will. But it's useless as it runs now. One star is a gift.

  • Dec 28, 2019

    By A Google user
    This has been very helpful for me to build my family tree when I'm somewhere with some time to go through records, look at pictures & save them and then continue building my tree. I live the hints but you have to really pay attention because they aren't always right di don't just click on them. I like new features of being able to choose to keep something or user as an alternative like a name, that's very important on many levels! Sometimes on the app I can do things I can't on the computer.
See all 5 reviews

  • Good App, Convenient Feb 21, 2019

    By BlooDude
    I really appreciate the convenience of being able to do ancestry on my phone! It makes it so easy to hop on and do a few leaves between activities. The app works well, but with a few issues. Occasionally, when trying to view something with a photo/attachment, it will say I need a paid account to view it, but usually when I go back and then click on it again, it works. Also, there are a few hints that take you to a website that you have to pay to be a member, just to see if that hint is the person in your tree (e.g. family search); I always skip those hints. Thirdly, a few hints always mess up no matter how many times you try to accept them; it just says something went wrong; try again later. (I’ve noticed this with newspaper articles.) I only give 4 stars because the census pictures only show you one page, whereas on the PC you can click to view the next page or previous page. Often the family is split between two pages, and I can’t confirm anything that is not on the page that it chooses to show me. If this were changed, I could give 5 stars, though those other problems still need addressed too.

  • I have a tree with over 2000 people Dec 19, 2019

    By Photogrphr
    If you are interested in the genealogy of your family this app will do it. But the full price of the app is way too high and the claim of newspaper artifacts is quite limited. If your ancestors come from Russia and your Jewish you will not be able to get further back than 1860. Assuming that your family came here in the very early 1900’s. My son in law is from German decent and I could trace his family back to 1675 when they came here as early settlers of Ohio, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Everyone in my family did ancestry DNA and it we found it very interesting. I had thought we were the only family with our last name in the America but with the DNA and matches I found that another family with my last name settled in Chicago around the same time my grandfather came. This I am sure of because I am a match for at least on of that clan. But I cannot figure out how we are related because the answer to that is in the small towns in Russia where the Jews were persecuted by the tzar and forced them to immigrate to the US. Instead of five stars I put four because I think they mislead me with the “all access” when it really isn’t “all access”

  • Hope O Creasman Dec 9, 2018

    By Speak Little
    I have used Ancestry since its inception. As a previous person stated, At first it was lacking records, but now it is amazing. If they could make the search where it would narrow down some more, because looking through 2,000 or more and having people come up who are in the 1900s when you want the late 1700s is very aggravating to me. Surely if you put the date of 1768, why are 1970s people showing up. Same with state, if I put SC and California is shown, I wonder why did I even put South Carolina, But I have to admit it does give you much more accurate information. And the DNA information amazes me. If the new ones would put their trees online and the stubborn old ones not keep everything to themselves, especially when you have given them information. Especially on the pictures. I have so many to identify and Rosa or Jose is from the same family, but they won’t share. However ancestry has really added to my knowledge and I know it will get better and better because it already has. It is sad to me because I won’t be around to see what’s to come. (I am 73.) So if you want to know is it worth it? I say a definite YES.

  • Mar 18, 2021

    By Thomas Gagnon
    Over all, it is a very good app. It would be nice if you could print decent clear images of your tree. As to make a hard paper print to put in a 3 ring binder. Also wish you could customize colors for different areas of the tree. To help highlight people you are currently researching. And other use colors to represent what info. you are looking for, for each person within the tree.

  • I like but it needs some additions Jan 12, 2019

    By Jessi Lanham
    I love finding all my long dead relatives but I wish there were more detailed options for your family tree. For example, it should include siblings on each layer of the tree to make even more accurate assessments of relation. Also, including an option for adopted children would be amazing. My grandfather was adopted by his aunt, and so she kept being listed as his mother when in fact she was only his mother by adoption. As a result of this, I’m having an incredibly hard time finding out who my actual great-grandmother is because the records are only show the adopted parents name. There should be a way to include both adopted parents for the purposes of records AND the actual parents for genetic purposes. Also, it would be nice if there were more inclusive options that were sensitive to transgender individuals, including the records for older relatives who may have had to alter their paperwork because of the times they were living in. The history that you can uncover is really eye-opening and I just think everyone should be able to experience it.

  • May 28, 2020

    By Shelly Mason
    Fast and super fun! I was able to build half of my family tree within 24 hours. The tips are so helpful. Everything works so easily once you get the hang of where to go. My only negative experience is that locations don't cache and if it isn't on the main list you have to continuously type it over and over each time. That would be an extremely great development opportunity!
See all 4 reviews

  • Jun 13, 2022

    By Chavon Murphy
    Yes it does cost money to get more information, but the more you know the you can see. The part that is free(even with the new update) I can actually see the names of the country my ancestors came from. Before I couldn't see the names just shapes. I do wish that they would make things easier by touching/clicking on a country to see more of what it looks like. More history on that country so I wouldn't have to have two windows open googling the location and history.

  • Feb 8, 2020

    By A Google user
    The app is very limited compared to the website, which isn't the greatest either. The graphs are very spread out meaning a lot of scrolling. When looking at sources it won't show you a summary of the person's info alongside so you have to remember which can be tough when working with a lot of people. It also caches everything and is very, very slow to refresh when you have made updates elsewhere. There is no way to force a refresh that I can find.

  • Jul 7, 2019

    By A Google user
    Using Ancestry on a phone is quite a different experience. Navigating can be a bit of a challenge to learn. For instance, I've yet to learn how to edit relationships. I'd like to try the app on my Samsung tablet, but all my attempts to sign in fail, possibly because I only have mobile data available (the error says to check network). I am able to sign into the ancestry website through a browser, but I believe this method is less data efficient and does not allow offline access to my tree.

  • Oct 25, 2020

    By Patty M
    The new version, with the bright off white background, brown color font, small icons, and small font is too hard on my eyes. I am older and need larger font and icons and a less bright background. Please give us the option to keep the old view or let us pick and choose colors, fonts, icons and backgrounds. Also the little drawings of a man or woman when you do not have a picture is busy and distracting. I use the app 99% of the time, but don't see myself using it now. Such a disappointment.

  • Great Concept but Inevitably Hard to Piece Together May 25, 2021

    By Tisha603
    I am struggling with how to figure out how I am related to my DNA matches. The Thru Lines are a great idea however I wish there was something similar that only showed Dna matches instead of everyone because when someone like myself is adopted and has no idea of their heritage or ancestors, it’s just a big puzzle. For instance I entered my “assumed” grandfather and I get tons of hints and thru lines for him but I have no idea if I’m related to him via DNA because so far no matches that I can find . I do admit I have thousands of relatives I can’t link in my tree even though we matched DNA, simply because idk how we are related. No common Surnames shared mostly. It’s very hard and confusing and I’m struggling to find my real ancestors because I don’t know my family nor who is who. If you could help us find a way to piece this together, you would be healing many lives that have holes in them from not knowing their families. you would help make so many lives better. Nonetheless ty for the hard work you have done so far.
See all 3 reviews

  • Website is better, all access membership isn’t worth it! Aug 25, 2021

    By HazeltheBasil
    I love ancestry, the things i’ve discovered are an amazing gift to my family. That said, the app version leaves much to be desired. The website allows you to connect with other members, view their profiles and trees (member trees are the most helpful feature on Ancestry), and send pictures. That only scratches the surface when it comes to all the goodness you’re missing out on if you use the app over the website. Additionally, the app glitches. If you delete someone on the tree it will reload you back to your home person, and often when you try to accept hints it will save the wrong one (or save one multiple times. As for the membership, while expensive they are worth it. I do think that the first or second are the best (though depending on which part of the world you want the international records from it might not help). I find that FamilySearch works better for international records, and Ancestry works best for US records. All access is basically a scam. All the newspaper article you want to look at (i truly mean ALL of the ones for my relatives) are behind another paywall. additionally the Fold3 records are largely already available on the ancestry website (draft cards, hospital admissions etc). Keep your 1st-2nd tier ancestry membership then get the higher level newspaper membership separately.

  • May 30, 2022

    By Chelsea Busch
    Although I love the app itself. I'm frustrated with the complication between subscriptions. This weekend I got an email saying I could upgrade my subscription to include newspaper and a couple others for a deal. I was extremely excited but when I tried it kept giving me an error code. After a couple attempts I reached out to a tech support who informed me since I bought ancestry through the app I couldn't upgrade but instead would have to cancel and then retry, but still no luck.

  • May 25, 2022

    By Kev M
    The app has a long-term glitch where you cannot access your photo library (you can only take a live shot, selecting photo library does NOTHING, even with permissions enabled on my device). Also, every action comes with spam from Ancestry in the app trying to force you to BUY, BUY BUY! Kinda makes the experience feel cheap and question whether data you pay for is even credible.

  • Mar 26, 2022

    By Liz M
    It was great, then it wasn't, then it was fixed, but now this new update, from yesterday 3/24/22, really messed it up again. It's doing the same thing it used to, going straight back to my starting person instead of keeping me where I was working in my tree when I open the app. It also isn't showing birth and death dates that I update, it's deleting them. It's not keeping my changes when I change some one from living to dead. Your update introduced a number of bugs again. I use this everyday 😑

  • Mar 1, 2022

    By Bryan M
    The exuberant prices are ridiculous, really. So are the predatory subscription "agreements." There's really no reason this should cost more than $5/month. $25 a month (6 month contract) and early $25 fee to cancel. Crazy. It's a database. There are no concrete services we're getting other than info. We get more at a local library.

  • May 5, 2022

    By M J-Y
    More convenient in general than logging into the website proper, but there is a great deal of room for improvement with regards to consistent functionality. There's that ongoing issue with intermittent, random "Missing" ethnicities for DNA matches, plus ever since the update a couple days ago, custom groups and accepted/ignored hints are no longer refreshing instantaneously in the app. You also have to use the website proper for basic functions, like fixing incorrect relationships in your trees.

  • Apr 17, 2019

    By A Google user
    Update: Almost unusable at this point, freezing and so buggy. The app has always been extremely buggy, Ive had it for a long time. Right now the hints keep saying they are down and can't be viewed. This type of issue is typical. A lot of records have multiple pages but you can only view one, unlike the website where you can click over to the next page. So you can miss a lot of info. It crashes a lot or just freezes. Its ok for quick reference and superficial work.

  • Sep 22, 2019

    By A Google user
    The search filters are too limited compared to the online version. No option to select country, for example. In one case, it would only show records using maiden name. I wanted to search census, but no option to exclude voter lists. Etc. Also, Comments are not included, even a view only option. Can't view some sources. "Image not available. See details below", and there's nothing except the title.

  • Aug 30, 2019

    By A Google user
    Stuck on Choose a Tree Page...Won't Let Me Access Menu. This app use to not be buggy, but has become so over the last couple of months. It is continually stuck on the 'Choose A Tree Page', with no way of accessing the three bar menu or backing out to the main page. I uninstalled and reinstalled hoping this would solve the problem, but it persists. As is, the mobile app is quite useless. Sad, because Ancestry services are overall stellar. Hoping this can be remedied.

  • Oct 8, 2019

    By A Google user
    It's not the app per se, it's the amount of data within Ancestry fit into a mobile app. You really need a desktop PC with dual monitors to be able to do this seriously. Showing people info through the app is nice but sheer amount of data makes it impossible to sift through on a single small screen. Also, if you make a mistake, it is a nightmare to undo it on almost all the platforms except on a desktop. Ancestey is great, just don't expect to do your family tree on your mobile.
See all 2 reviews

  • Jun 8, 2022

    By Kat
    I'll be cancelling my subscription until you can work out the bugs more. It still kicks you back to the home person, then freezes, crashes and you have to reboot app...over and over. Worse yet, for the last month it won't let me save any pictures or stories from other members to my tree...half the reason for paying such an insane price in the first place. Now, in addition to this, after updating the app last night it won't let me manually add any facts to the timeline of family profiles.

  • May 20, 2022

    By Scott Rhodes
    Wonderful app. Perfect. Cohesive and beautiful use of data. Unfortunatley it is way too cost prohibitive. If you want $30-40/mo it needs to be for the whole family - similar to how you can share your Netflix account. I would pay $4-9/mo to have my own account. It's ridiculous for my mother to be paying $30/mo to explore the same family tree I am paying $30/mo for. I assume that cost of scale would result in better profits if you allowed for account sharing or lower the subscription price.

  • Membership Purchase DOES NOT WORK in the App Nov 20, 2019

    By Seventh fret
    The App is a scam! 😩😡🤬. You risk losing money! They tempt you with a few days free trial and charge your credit card. When your free trial ends, Ancestry deactivates your account so you can no longer see images of documents even though your card has been changed. To get your money back you have to deal with Apple. I have had an Ancestry account for years, but only activate it occasionally for a few months to see if any new information is available. This time I made the mistake of activating it through the app using Apple Pay. The app worked okay for me. If you are using an iPad, the app is more convenient than the site on Safari; however, there are a few things that can only be done on the website (e.g. inviting others to your tree if your tree is private). Occasionally the app locks up and loses connection when you try to add files to your gallery. But the main problem is activating your account through the app, especially along with the free trial offer. If you want an active membership, activate it through the website even though you will not get the free trial. Otherwise, you risk a lot of headaches trying to get a refund when Ancestry doesn’t honor your purchase at the end of the free trial.

  • False advertising Jul 10, 2019

    By Ahamanda
    Do not believe the free 14 day trial. You may get charged & then apple itunes will not refund your money. They told me that all sales were final & that apps are not personalized. I was not told this & there is nothing on the free 14 day trial page within the app that has terms & conditions or any exclusions. I had received a previous free trial & was surprised to see another one. I clicked it thinking I’d received it because I did not keep the subscription originally. Apple itunes store kept me on the phone for over an hour refusing to refund & quoting the all sales final in the terms & conditions. There needs to be an * on the free 14 day trial page in the app with at least a short sentence stating if you’ve received a free trial that you will be charged the full subscription price for one month & not receive the free trial. This is false advertising & makes both ancestry & apple itunes store look very bad. I learned my lesson the hard way. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. Save your money & don’t even risk it if you’ve used it before. Reclaim the records offers all records for free, same ones ancestry charges for- public free records-paid for by your ancestor’s taxes & you can use ancestry through your taxpayer $ for free at your local library. I’m so angry.

  • New update is horrible Oct 30, 2020

    By CAB20
    Why why why??? You ruined a perfectly good app! It is so difficult now to see my tree. There is no contrast, the pictures are tiny, the names don’t look right. Cannot follow the lines. Terrible graphics! No new useful features. What could have been really helpful would be to view the relationship in the tree without having to click on each profile. It would be amazingly helpful to have a colored border around each person in the tree with the ability to customize a color for each individual. This way you could highlight relatives in your direct line, another color for different relationships or to highlight interesting matches or ones you want to go back and research more. So sad about this new update...I have put so much time and effort into my tree and this new look is not going to work for me. So visually cumbersome! I need a larger photo and have put a lot of effort into using photos for quick identification and sizing them just so. Too much wasted space now that is not even being used to display additional information. I’m not sure what the thinking was behind this colossal failure. I want the old app back!!!

  • Dec 26, 2019

    By A Google user
    Too many bugs. For instance, message function isn't working on the app but works well on the browser. Second, sometimes family members show up twice but they are not really there twice. The app makes it appear that way but the browser only shows the one person. I've accidentally deleted people by accident for this reason. Third, I don't like that you cannot quick edit relationships like the browser version. Fourth, I was unable to send someone a link to the tree using mobile app version.
See all 1 reviews

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Ancestry: Family History & DNA

Ancestry: Family History & DNA

Google Play App Store
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