❓ Help & How It Works

Everything you need to know about using the family tree app.

Roles & Permissions

Every user is assigned one of three roles when they join. Your role determines what actions you can take in the app.

Action	Viewer	Editor	Admin
View the family tree & member profiles	✅	✅	✅
Search family members	✅	✅	✅
Use the Relationship Finder	✅	✅	✅
Chat with family members	✅	✅	✅
Edit your own linked profile	✅	✅	✅
Undo & redo changes	✅	✅	✅
Add & edit family members	❌	✅	✅
Upload profile photos	❌	✅	✅
Invite new users	❌	✅	✅
Export tree as image (PNG / SVG)	✅	✅	✅
Export family data (JSON backup)	❌	❌	✅
Manage users & invite codes	❌	❌	✅
View the audit log	❌	❌	✅
Change family settings (name)	❌	❌	✅

Core Features

🌳

Interactive Tree

Browse your family tree with four view modes: Descendants, Ancestors, Full Tree, and Free Move. Zoom, pan, and click any person to open their profile in the sidebar. Use the toolbar to toggle bio snippets on each tile, or centre the view on the current focus person.

👤

Member Profiles

Each person has a profile with their name, birth & death dates, birthplace, biography, photo, and family connections. Editors can add or update profiles at any time.

🔗

Relationship Finder

Open the Relationship Finder panel, then click two people on the tree (or type names in the search boxes, or press Me to select yourself). Discover exactly how they are related — e.g. "2nd cousin once removed". Use the × buttons to clear a selection, or Clear All to reset.

💬

Family Chat

Send direct messages to family members, create named group chats, or send a broadcast. When creating a broadcast, use the family filter to target a specific family, or leave it on Everyone for a global announcement. All members are pre-selected — uncheck anyone to exclude them individually. A badge on the Chat button shows unread counts.

⠿

Drag-to-Link

Editors can quickly create relationships by dragging one person's tile onto another. Grab the ⠿ handle on the right edge of any tile and drop it onto the target person. A menu lets you choose the relationship type (parent, child, or spouse).

📋

Change History

Every edit to a family member's profile is recorded. Expand the History section in any sidebar profile to see what changed and when.

✉

Inviting Family

Editors and admins can generate a one-time invite link for a family member. Right-click any unclaimed tree tile and select Invite User from the context menu.

🔒

Privacy Controls

Control what personal information is visible to other family members. Hide individual fields like birth date, bio, or contacts from your profile via the Privacy Settings in your user menu.

🏆

Family Insights

Explore interactive statistics about your family — longevity, marriages, growth trends, name analysis, and more. Click any stat card to drill down into the details.

⌨

Keyboard Shortcuts

/ Focus search + Add member Ctrl+Z Undo Ctrl+Y Redo Arrow keys to navigate between tiles.

Getting Started

1

Browse the tree

The tree opens in Descendants view by default. Switch modes using the toolbar buttons in the top-right corner of the tree canvas. Use scroll-wheel or the ＋/－ buttons to zoom; click and drag the background to pan.
2

Search for a family member

Type a name in the search box at the top (or press / to focus it from anywhere). Click a result to centre the tree on that person and open their profile in the sidebar.
3

Discover relationships

Click the 🔗 Relationships button in the header to open the Relationship Finder panel. Click two people on the tree, or type names into the search boxes in the panel, or press Me to select your own record. The result appears instantly when both people are selected.
4

Link your account to your profile

If you appear in the tree already, open your user menu (top-right avatar) and choose Link to Tree. Search for your name and confirm — your account will be linked to your tree entry and you can update your own bio and photo.

Data Privacy & Security

Your family data is private. Here is exactly how it is stored, who can see it, and what controls you have.

🔐

Invite-Only Access

There is no public sign-up page. Every user must be personally invited by an Editor or Admin using a one-time link. After registering, a verification email is sent — the account is only activated once the link is clicked. Without a valid invite, it is impossible to create an account or see any data.

☁

Where Your Data Lives

All data is stored in a private Google Firebase project — the same infrastructure used by millions of apps worldwide. Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest on Google's servers. No family data is stored on any personal computer or third-party service.

🛡

Server-Side Security Rules

Every read and write is checked by security rules running on Firebase servers — not just in the browser. Even if someone bypasses the app interface, the server rejects any request that violates the access rules. These rules cannot be changed by users.

👁

Who Can See What

Admins can see all members and manage the system. Editors and Viewers can only see members in their own extended family — the server automatically filters which members are visible based on family connections. Only Admins have unrestricted access to the full member list.

🙈

Your Privacy Controls

You can hide specific fields on your own profile (birth date, bio, contacts, etc.) from other family members. Open My Privacy in your user menu to choose what is visible. Hiding all fields activates a full lockdown on your profile.

📝

Audit Trail

Every significant action (logins, edits, deletions, role changes, invites) is recorded in an immutable audit log. Only admins can view this log. Entries cannot be edited or deleted by anyone.

Can other family members see my email or password?

No. Your password is never stored — Firebase only stores a secure hash. Your email address is visible to admins in the Admin Panel for account management, but it is not shown anywhere on the family tree itself.

Can someone outside the family see our tree?

No. There is no public URL or search engine listing for any family data. Every request to the database requires a valid authenticated session from an invited user. Unauthenticated requests are rejected at the server level.

What happens if my account is revoked?

If an admin revokes your account, you are immediately signed out and cannot log in again. All your data in the tree remains (it belongs to the family, not to your account), but you lose access to view or edit anything.

Is two-factor authentication available?

Yes. Open your user menu and select Sign-in Security to enable TOTP-based two-factor authentication. You will need an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, etc.) to scan the QR code. Once enabled, you must enter a 6-digit code at each login.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I join? Can I sign up myself?

The family tree is invite-only. Someone with an Editor or Admin role must send you a personal invite link. Clicking that link takes you to the registration page where you can create your account. After registering, you will receive a verification email — you must click the link in that email to activate your account before you can sign in.

I registered but can't sign in — it says to verify my email.

After creating an account, a verification email is sent to the address you provided. Check your inbox (and spam folder) for a message from Firebase / Family Tree and click the link inside. If you attempt to sign in before verifying, a new verification email is sent automatically.

If you still cannot find the email, click Back to Sign In on the verification screen and sign in again — this will trigger another send.

I can't add or edit anyone — what's wrong?

Adding and editing family members requires the Editor or Admin role. If you are a Viewer, you can browse and chat but not make changes to other people. You can still edit your own linked profile. Contact your family tree administrator if you believe your role should be upgraded.

How do I undo a change I made?

Use the undo button (↩) in the header or press Ctrl+Z. This works for all users, including viewers editing their own profile. Press Ctrl+Y or click redo (↪) to reapply a change you undid. Up to 50 changes are kept in the undo history.

Can I control what others see on my profile?

Yes. Open your user menu (top-right avatar) and select My Privacy. You can hide individual fields like birth date, biography, contacts, and more. Hidden fields are not visible to other family members. Only you and admins can see them.

How do I change my email address or password?

Open your user menu and select the relevant option. For email changes, a verification link is sent to your new address — the change only takes effect after you click it. For password changes, you will be asked to verify your current password first.

I see "Not related" for two people who are clearly in the tree. Why?

The relationship finder traces connections through parent, spouse, and co-parent links. If it shows "Not related", it means there is no chain of relationships connecting those two people in the data. Check that all marriages and parent-child links are entered correctly — a missing link will break the chain.