Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you will get a lot of added benefit. Y-DNA gives you information on your all-male line only, while autosomal DNA (atDNA) gives you hints on all your ancestral lines. For example, at the great-grandparent level, Y-DNA explains only 1 out of 8 lines, whereas autosomal DNA covers all 8.

We assume you're interested in ancestry, not health. Going through thousands of matches is tedious, so we built this app to guide you. Our app sorts out which matches are real, groups them by chromosome location, maps them to your family tree, and helps you collaborate with your DNA cousins to identify common ancestors.

Triangulation means confirming that three (or more) people all share DNA at the same location on the same chromosome. If you (A) match both B and C at the same spot, and B also matches C at that same spot, then all three of you likely descend from the same ancestor. This forms a Triangulated Group, a strong signal of shared ancestry that our app builds automatically.

No. The in-common-with (ICW) report only tells you that three people all match each other. It does not confirm they match at the same chromosome location. One match could be on your paternal side and another on your maternal side. Triangulation requires verifying the exact overlap, which is what our app does automatically.

Finding biological parents requires following every possible lead across every service where people have uploaded DNA. Our app connects you to these results and automates every possible step, so you can concentrate on communicating with your closest new relatives to improve your chances.

Yes. While a well-filled family tree helps, our app will help you fill in the gaps. We confirm who shares an ancestor with you, arrange them into groups, and you work together with your DNA cousins to combine family tree information and discover where you connect.

All major companies have pros and cons. Our app works with raw DNA data from Ancestry, 23andMe, Family Tree DNA, MyHeritage, and LivingDNA. If you can afford it, testing at multiple companies and uploading all your results gives you the most matches to work with.

No. Research shows that over 30% of matches can be false positives. They appear to share DNA but aren't actually related to you in recent generations. Our app filters these out automatically through triangulation, so you only collaborate with confirmed DNA cousins.

A Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) is the closest ancestor that you and your DNA cousins all descend from. For example, if a match is your 2nd cousin, your MRCA is a pair of great-grandparents. If they're a 3rd cousin, it's a pair of 2x-great-grandparents. Identifying the MRCA is the ultimate goal of each Triangulated Group.

Usually a couple. With current DNA technology, we can't tell if a shared segment came from the father or mother in an ancestral couple. So the common ancestor of a Triangulated Group is typically recorded as a couple. In rare cases (for example, when the ancestor was married twice and different group members descend through different spouses) it can be a single person.

The X chromosome behaves differently from the 22 autosomes. The minimum segment length depends on the genders being compared: for two males, segments as small as 1 centiMorgan (cM) with 200 SNPs can be meaningful. For a male-female comparison, use 6 cM and 600 SNPs. For two females or when gender is unknown, use 6 cM and 1,200 SNPs. Our app applies these thresholds automatically.

Not necessarily. While fathers don't pass their X chromosome to sons (only to daughters), the absence of shared X-DNA doesn't definitively place a match on your paternal side. In many cases, the X-DNA was simply lost through inheritance on one or both sides. However, the reverse is true: if a son shares X-DNA with a match, that DNA must have come through his mother.

Each DNA testing company and third-party service uses a different algorithm with different rules for what counts as a match. They have different population distributions and different approaches to filtering false positives. This is normal. No single algorithm is the "best." Our app applies its own rigorously tested thresholds to give you the most reliable results.

These are DNA segments that look like matches but aren't from a recent shared ancestor. "Identical by Chance" (IBC) segments are randomly stitched together. "Identical by State" (IBS) segments are very common in the general population and don't indicate a specific relationship. Research suggests about 30% of reported matches include these false positives. Triangulation is the primary method to distinguish real matches from false ones, and our app does this automatically.

Each company tests different markers (SNPs) on their custom chip, and this changes as technology improves. The number of markers varies. More isn't always better. What matters most for our app is that you can download your raw data file and upload it. We work with data from all major testing companies regardless of chip version.

23andMe gives you a basic prediction of your paternal (Y-DNA) or maternal (mtDNA) haplogroup. Family Tree DNA offers much more detailed tests, including full mitochondrial genome sequencing and Big-Y testing that places you much more precisely in the human phylogenetic tree. These are separate, specialized tests beyond what our app focuses on (autosomal DNA for finding cousins and ancestors).

Medical DNA testing is outside the scope of our app. We focus entirely on ancestry and genealogy. If you're interested in health-related DNA insights, consult your doctor or a genetic counselor for guidance on appropriate testing options.

Any autosomal DNA test is best because it analyzes your DNA along all ancestor lines, not just one. For finding biological family, we recommend testing at multiple companies and uploading all your raw data to our app. The more matches you have, the better your chances of connecting with biological relatives.

Different people value different things: number of matches, quality of family trees, tools provided, responsiveness of other users, and overall database size. If you can afford it, testing at all major companies and uploading your data to third-party tools like ours gives you the broadest coverage. Our app works with raw data from all five major testing companies.

Ethnicity estimates are approximations that improve over time as reference populations grow. Each company uses different methods and reference panels. For the most complete picture, compare results across multiple companies. Note that our app focuses on finding specific cousins and ancestors through DNA matching, which is more precise and actionable than broad ethnicity percentages.