We have temporarily disabled some features within the DNA Relatives tool as an additional precaution to protect your privacy.
The DNA Relatives feature is one of the most interactive features of 23andMe, allowing you to find and connect with genetic relatives and learn more about your family.
- The DNA Relatives feature can identify relatives on any branch of your family tree. It does this by taking advantage of the autosomal chromosomes - the 22 chromosomes that are passed down from your ancestors on both sides of your family - and your X chromosome(s). Learn more about detecting relatives.
- Relatives are identified by comparing your DNA with the DNA of other 23andMe customers who are participating in the DNA Relatives feature. The DNA Relatives feature uses the length and number of these identical segments to predict the relationship between genetic relatives. Generally long stretches of identical DNA indicate a recent common ancestor and therefore a close relationship. Learn more about predicting relationships.
- The number of relatives listed is different for each person and grows over time as more people join 23andMe.
Choosing to Participate
Participating in the DNA Relatives feature is optional. After registering your kit, you’ll be prompted to choose whether or not you’d like to participate. If you skip this step, you’ll be prompted again when you first visit the feature.
If you choose to opt in and participate in DNA Relatives, other customers that have also elected to participate in this feature will be able to view the following information about you:
Your DNA Relatives display name
How recently you logged into your account
Your relationship labels (masculine, feminine, neutral)
Your predicted relationship and percentage of DNA shared with your matches
Your location (optional)
Ancestor birth locations and family names (optional)
Your profile picture (optional)
Your birth year (optional)
A link to your Family Tree (optional)
Anything you have added to the “Introduce yourself!” Section (optional)
You have the ability to change your participation status at any time through DNA Relatives or your account Settings. If you are expecting to see a known relative in your list and that relative does not appear, check with them to make sure they have opted in to participate in DNA Relatives.
Additionally, any family information you enter into your DNA Relatives profile, such as family names or where your ancestors were born, will be shown when a match clicks on your profile.
Your display name
Your display name is how your profile name will appear to other DNA Relatives participants. You can choose to participate using your name, your initials, or a combination of the two.
You can also choose if you would like to have masculine, feminine, or gender neutral predicted relationship labels (e.g., brother, sister, sibling) shown to other DNA Relatives participants.
Genetic Ancestry Results
Showing your genetic ancestry results makes select information available to your matches in DNA Relatives without an individual request to share reports. This information includes all of your ancestry reports (e.g., your Ancestry Composition results, the Maternal and Paternal Haplogroup results, and your Neanderthal Ancestry results). As new ancestry reports are added, your DNA Relatives profile will update with this information.
Opting out of DNA Relatives
If you would like to stop participating in the DNA Relatives feature, you may opt out by selecting the Manage Preferences option within DNA Relatives or from your account Settings page. If you opt out, you will not appear in other people's DNA Relatives results, and your profile will not be able to access DNA Relatives to view or contact relatives. However, you may change your mind and opt in again at any time.
Additional Resources
- Privacy and display settings in DNA Relatives
- How DNA Relatives detects and determines a genetic relationship
- Sorting and filtering your matches in DNA Relatives
- Using DNA Relatives to learn about your family history
- Take me to the DNA Relatives feature