February 19, 2025, 10am mst
With RowStech 2025 approaching Fast, the meeting has announced various updates, including the “Reprotive at Rootstech” feature, theme songs, and more.
RootStech is a three-day global online and in-person family history conference sponsored by FamilySearch and sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ, a Latter-day Saints and other major genealogy organizations.
The 2025 event is scheduled for March 6-8, with select content available in multiple languages, both in-person events in Salt Lake City and online at rootstech.org.
Learn more about recent updates to the meeting below.
“Rootstec’s relatives”
Genealogy enthusiasts give enough time to the deceased ancestors, but FamilySearch allows for easy connections with living relatives.
The “RetStech relative” feature available on both the FamilySearch website and the app allows individuals to see people who share a common ancestor in RootStech 2025. This feature will be open until April 11th, according to a FamilySearch blog post on February 14th.
Last year, hundreds of thousands of Roottech participants saw the relationships between 5.9 million ancestors through Roottech relatives, the blog post said.
To use “Rootstech relative” on your phone, download the FamilySearch Tree app and sign in or create a free account. Once logged in, opt-in to the experience by clicking on the “RootStech relative” banner at the top of the screen. Users can see a list of people related to those who are virtually or in person participating in RootStech 2025. Depending on your privacy settings, relatives can send messages to each other.
To use “RootStech relatives” on your computer, go to www.familysearch.org/connect and log in to Family Search. On both platforms, “Rootstech relatives” use FamilySearch family tree information to identify common ancestors between users.
This feature works from anywhere in the world, but for those who are directly participating in RootStech 2025, the optional location toggle allows other users in the building to see and allow relatives to easily meet up Masu.
For more information, please visit familysearch.org.
RootStech 2025 Theme Song
Sung by Tanner Townsend, director of FamilySearch International Director of Events Jonathan Wing, the song “Who Am” was created to commemorate the RootStech 2025 theme “Discover.”
“We hope this song encourages us to search and create lasting connections across family trees and beyond,” the February 18 announcement stated.
“WHO AM” is currently available on all streaming platforms.
Family Tree App Update
FamilySearch released a fully updated version of the Family Tree Android app on December 20, 2024, according to a blog post on February 15th.
Android apps are now more accessible with features like screen reader support and adjustable text size.
Additionally, users can now easily add spouses and children to relatives, even if they don’t see other spouses or children. Users can also hide or display hints and other indicators if desired.
Another updated feature is that identification numbers are easier to find and use. This helps researchers find specific people.
Finally, users of the Android app can contact the living relatives shown through the Relationship Viewer settings, and with the “Relatives Around Me” feature, individuals can start chatting and save contacts You can do this. This option was previously only available while using the “RootStech relative” feature.
The updated genealogy app is compatible with devices running Android OS 10 or later. Those who currently use older apps running Android version 7.0 or later can use that version. However, bug fixes, new features, and other updates are no longer accepted.
