New at FamilySearch.org
It's always exciting to see new tools and resources become available to help us in our family history journeys, and FamilySearch has certainly been busy with updates recently! Let's dive into some of the key changes that have already taken place, drawn from the latest information available.
First, let's talk about the backbone of our research – the records! In just one recent week (May 10 to 16, 2025), FamilySearch added one new historical record collection and updated many others. The brand-new addition is the Singapore, Church Records, 1848-1984 collection, bringing nearly 50,000 indexed records and over 9,500 images. Throughout that same week, numerous collections saw updates, including civil registration records for Belgium and the Philippines, census records for Canada's Prairie Provinces (1926 and 1931), marriage records for Mississippi and Pennsylvania, and military records for Argentina, Florida, and Georgia, among many others. These updates often included significant increases in indexed records or record images. As of May 16, 2025, the total count of historical record collections available on FamilySearch stood at 3,409, a slight increase from the previous week.
A major shift that has occurred relates to how records are made searchable. The traditional method of volunteer indexing, known as "My Indexing," was retired on April 21. This means you can no longer check out record batches in the old way. The primary reason for this change is the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is capable of processing records and finding key information millions of times faster than human volunteers. Records are being digitised at a pace far exceeding the capacity of human indexers.
But volunteer efforts are still crucial! Many features from "My Indexing" have moved to the "Opportunities" page under the "Get Involved" tab. This new area is designed to make it easier for both new and experienced volunteers to contribute. The focus has shifted to reviewing and refining the work done by AI. Current tasks you can get involved with include:
Quick Name Review (reviewing first names and surnames)
Full Name Review (reviewing complete names including titles)
Family Review (looking for all members of a family in selected records)
Verify Places (checking for standardised place names)
A Record Hints Review is also available, currently in beta
The "Get Involved" experience is simplified; you don't check out batches or worry about completion times. Your indexing statistics ("stats") remain accessible on the indexing activity card within the "Opportunities" page and on the "Your Impact" page. Arbitration statistics are now combined with reviewed statistics. The indexing group feature has been removed as the new activities don't support groups, and the goals feature has also been removed. You can still access your past projects and batches through the "Get Involved" tab. Be aware that messages associated with the old "My Indexing" will be deleted upon its full retirement, so copy anything important.
Beyond records and indexing, the FamilySearch website and apps have seen several updates:
There's a new, refreshed homepage layout. It now features "Recent people viewed" and hints prominently, with recent memories displayed below on a scrolling ribbon. A search box is now located on the right side, and the Labs portal, to-do list, and help functions have moved to new positions.
FamilySearch currently maintains two catalogues. The older one is primarily useful for searching microfilm and was locked for updates nearly three years ago. The newer catalogue is the place to find digital holdings like recent digital records and books.
Messaging has largely transitioned to a chat format. This enables real-time notifications and can be used from any page on FamilySearch, with a resizable and movable chat window. Older messages from before roughly 2022 were eliminated in this transition.
A specific app, the FamilySearch Africa app, has been created to assist users in Africa with unique genealogical challenges, including access to oral genealogies. It's currently available on Android.
Three Star Record Hints have been enabled, offering potentially weaker hints that require careful evaluation. You need to opt into these hints in your Family Tree preferences under settings to see them.
The Tree Integrity feature (Profile Quality Score) is now automatically visible for profiles within certain countries and time periods (mainly 1700s-1920), no longer requiring you to opt-in. It provides a "High," "Medium," or "Low" score based on data quality, and you can click for details on areas needing improvement.
An Improved Person Change Log is available in Labs. When activated, it provides more detail on changes by showing both the previous and new values for many edits.
A new Memory Gallery was recently announced with an updated appearance, an "add memories" button, and improved filtering and sorting. Enhanced privacy features have been added, allowing you to select privacy settings (private, private within a group, or public) when adding memories. The album slideshow feature was removed in this update.
In the realm of AI-powered tools within FamilySearch Labs:
A help chatbot is available to assist with questions about research and using the FamilySearch site, drawing on resources like the Help Centre, RootsTech, Wiki, and blogs.
An AI research assistant is also in Labs. One product helps find potential new people to add to your tree from hints. Another, accessible from a person's page, can help find information like birth, death, or marriage details and suggest additional resources. It can even search outside of FamilySearch data, though it cannot access records behind paywalls like Ancestry's.
FamilySearch also added a new partner site: Story.com. This site is a rebranding of World Archives and includes the Newspaper Archive. Story.com allows users to create personal trees, build stories and books, and search genealogical records and newspaper collections. Access is available at no cost for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through partner access.
These changes highlight FamilySearch's commitment to using technology, particularly AI, to speed up record access, while also providing new ways for families to connect and preserve their stories.