FamilySearch has extended the window for Relatives at RootsTech until April 30th, 2026! Use the Relatives at RootsTech 2026 feature to explore your family tree and find relatives you didn’t even know existed. You can use this feature from both the FamilySearch Family Tree app and the FamilySearch website.
RootsTech is a great place to learn about ancestors and an equally great place to find living relatives. Last year, more than 660,000 participants, globally, viewed 6.6 million ancestral relationships through the Relatives at RootsTech web and mobile app experience. That's a lot of family connections!
When Will Relatives at RootsTech 2026 Be Available to Use?
Relatives at RootsTech will be available from 13 February to 30 April 2026. We want to make sure you have enough time to connect with living relatives!
Once this time frame passes, the feature will be turned off until the next RootsTech. This means that Relatives at RootsTech isn’t a permanent feature on the Family Tree app or on the website. If you want to try it out, be sure to open it during the designated RootsTech window!
If you've already explored family connections on Relatives at RootsTech, remember that new people continually join during the open period. Be sure to visit the site multiple times! You may find new cousin connections and family discoveries.
How to Use Relatives at RootsTech 2026
To use Relatives at RootsTech on your phone, mobile device, or online, you'll need an account at FamilySearch.org. Don’t worry, a FamilySearch account is free and easy to set up. You can even sign up for an account using your Facebook, Google, or Apple accounts.
Using Relatives at RootsTech on a Phone or Mobile Device
First, you'll need to download the FamilySearch Family Tree app. Once you have the app installed on your device, open the app, and sign in with your FamilySearch account.
At the top of the screen, click the Relatives at RootsTech 2026 banner. You will need to opt in to the experience, and then you’ll see a list of people you’re related to who are likewise participating in the conference—virtually or in person.
Depending on your privacy settings, you can send and receive messages and even introduce yourself to your new relatives. Who knows, maybe you can help each other with your family history!
Using Relatives at RootsTech 2026 on a Computer
To use the Relatives at RootsTech experience on the FamilySearch website, just go to the FamilySearch Connect page. Sign in with your FamilySearch username and password, make sure your profile is updated, and start exploring who you're related to!
How Does Relatives at RootsTech Know When I’m Related to Someone?
Full disclosure: Relatives at RootsTech 2026 isn’t magic. Nor does it use a secret Google algorithm or background check to discover all your ancestors. It simply looks at the ancestor information you and other people have entered into the FamilySearch Family Tree and identifies connections.
The more ancestor information you share with Family Tree, the more likely Relatives at RootsTech will find people you’re related to. Those with a deeper ancestral tree in the FamilySearch Family Tree will find more cousin connections.
Find More Relatives at RootsTech by Adding Your Ancestor Information to Family Tree
If you’re new to family history, FamilySearch offers a guided tutorial to help you build your tree. During RootsTech, or at any time, you can schedule a help session with an experienced volunteer to get personalized, one-on-one guidance.
Remember, try to add as many ancestors as you can to Family Tree. Soon, your family line will connect to other family lines. When that happens, FamilySearch's Relatives at RootsTech experience will immediately begin looking for your cousin connections.
Be aware that if you don't have many ancestors in Family Tree, Relatives at RootsTech may not reveal as many cousins. There may be fewer relatives in certain homelands, but adding even one more person to Family Tree can benefit many other people. Have no fear—other experiences in the app will help you find others with your same family name to make those connections.
Relatives at RootsTech 2026 Feature for In-Person Attendees
Relatives at RootsTech will work from anywhere in the world. If your 9th cousin 2 times removed is in Brazil, and you’re in the United States, you may get a notification from that cousin in the messaging section. Pretty cool, right?
For people who attend the conference in Salt Lake, Relatives at RootsTech 2026 will take the experience one step further.
The feature comes with a location toggle that, when turned on, shows other users where you are in the Salt Palace Convention Center. If you want, you can send a message and perhaps meet your relative in person!
See What People Say About Relatives at RootsTech
People who have used Relatives at RootsTech before love the way it strengthens connections and leads to new discoveries.
Stephanie Mecham notes that with her unusual maiden name of Bessire, she had never seen a cousin closer than 5th or 6th. But last time, she found a couple of 2nd cousins. Stephanie chatted with one of them because she recognized her name. She had corresponded with her cousin’s mother in the '90s over family history research. Her cousin “was really excited to know that I had communicated with her mother, who is now deceased.” Her newly-found cousin shared the names of her family—children and grandchildren and where they lived. “The main cool part,” Stephanie concludes, “was it was a connection on that name that was more direct than I’d had in the past.”
Rachel Matheus has used the feature multiple times but had a particularly inspiring experience a few years ago. “As I was looking at connections with cousins around the world, I found I had cousins on one of my Danish lines who were living in Brazil,” she says. “I had never thought about how my family might have emigrated to places other than where my own immediate ancestors ended up.”
Briana Taylor says she uses the feature to reconnect with relatives she hasn’t talked with recently and introduce herself to those she has never met. “Last year I made a goal to message all of my 1st and 2nd cousins in Relatives at RootsTech, and I was deeply touched by some of the connections I made,” she says. “I chatted with cousins residing in different countries and met—for the first time—the close cousins I didn’t know I had. I even reconnected my dad to family he hasn’t talked to in over a decade!”
Christine Kleinert says that with Relatives at RootsTech, even distant relationships can turn into meaningful friendships. “One of my 7th cousin’s grandchildren messaged me, wanting to know more about me—because I'm from Germany and ‘that is so cool.’ I loved that this young man reached out to me and is interested in his ancestors. We are now friends on Facebook and are going to message to get to know more about each other.”
Get Ready for RootsTech 2026!
Have you ever looked out into a giant crowd of people and wondered if you might be related to any of them? You probably are! And Relatives at RootsTech 2026 can prove it to you.
Don't miss out on the chance to uncover your family history and connect with relatives you never knew about. Sign up for the conference. Download the app. Or visit the FamilySearch Connect page. Then go and share with your friends.
What Is RootsTech?
RootsTech is a place to learn, be inspired, and make connections through family history. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by other leading genealogy organizations, RootsTech has hundreds of expert classes, tips and tricks videos, and inspiring stories that can help you experience family history like never before. Visit our on-demand learning library, or make plans to join us for our next virtual or in-person conference event.
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