{"id":495,"date":"2012-04-13T08:42:00","date_gmt":"2012-04-13T13:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/using-the-kindle-fire-for-genealogy-ancestry\/"},"modified":"2014-05-28T23:48:29","modified_gmt":"2014-05-29T04:48:29","slug":"using-the-kindle-fire-for-genealogy-ancestry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/using-the-kindle-fire-for-genealogy-ancestry\/","title":{"rendered":"Using the Kindle Fire for Genealogy \u2013 Ancestry"},"content":{"rendered":"

(This post was updated on 22 January 2013.\u00a0 Updates are in blue.\u00a0 Also note that the screenshots in this post vary slightly from the current version of the app.)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You may be aware that Ancestry.com developed a mobile app.\u00a0 The Ancestry<\/a> app (Android, iOS; free) is essentially a bridge to your online Ancestry family trees (public, private, and those share with you).\u00a0 It\u2019s a good app, and mimics the look and feel of your online tree.\u00a0 You can view your tree, add to it, and edit information.<\/p>\n

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\"Kindle-ancestry\"<\/p>\n

I did notice from the reviews of the app though, that there seems to be a misconception about what the app is intended for.\u00a0 Many people thought that the app was supposed to help you do your research, by granting \u201cfree\u201d (remember, the app itself is free) access to Ancestry\u2019s records, \"Kindle-ancesry1\"providing you with your dashboard of recent message board posts or recent Member Connect activity, and\/or showing you the shaking leaves in your tree for research hints.\u00a0 Make no mistake, the app does NOT do these things, nor do I believe it ever will.\u00a0 UPDATE:\u00a0 The app now shows the shaking leaves for which you can take action on, just as you would if you were on your computer.\u00a0 But remember, you only have access to the records that are part of your subscription to Ancestry.\u00a0 Personally, I think it is very difficult to work on the hints using the Kindle (or any mobile device) because it\u2019s hard to maneuver in very little real estate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another thing I noticed, that I don\u2019t believe was available when I wrote this post originally, is that when you click on the little source box (third tab in the image at the right), you will see a list of sources and from there you have the option to \u201cSearch ancestry.com to find historical documents about [person\u2019s name].\u201d\u00a0 All this does is launch your Kindle\u2019s browser and provides a list of search matches.\u00a0 At this point, you are no longer in the app.\u00a0 And again, you only have access to records that fall under your Ancestry subscription category.\u00a0 And while viewing these records is possible, depending on what it is, it\u2019s often very hard to really work with and analyze the record in the limited amount of space.\u00a0 But, you can save things to your shoebox to review at a later time.\u00a0 I still believe<\/span> that the main intent of the Ancestry app is to provide you with easy access to the data stored in your online Ancestry tree.<\/p>\n

Why use the Ancestry app?\u00a0 Plain and simple:\u00a0 you have access to all your data (assuming your online Ancestry tree is up-to-date) wherever you are.\u00a0 And assuming you\u2019ve downloaded<\/span> your tree from the app, it\u2019s still accessible even if you\u2019re offline (you cannot edit it, however, without an internet connection\u2014this is still true<\/span>).<\/p>\n

While I prefer the Families<\/a> app over the Ancestry app, if I solely used Ancestry for the primary storage of all my research, I\u2019d be singing a different tune.\u00a0 The app is visually nice and as I mentioned, functions much the same way as the online version of the Ancestry tree.\u00a0 It\u2019s pretty easy to use, but I was bummed that you can\u2019t make updates to it without being online.\u00a0 Since it downloads the data when you access the tree (while online) I figured it would allow you to change it and it would save it to the device and sync when you\u2019re next online, but no such luck, even today<\/span>.\u00a0 Maybe that will be an update down the road.<\/p>\n

If you only use (or primarily use) Ancestry.com to keep track of all your data, then I would certainly recommend the Ancestry app.\u00a0 Hey, it\u2019s free and it functions well, why not give it a try!<\/p>\n

Do you use the Ancestry app?\u00a0 What has your experience been like?\u00a0 Drop me a comment and let me know.<\/p>\n

See also:<\/strong><\/p>\n