Pro Tools & New format DNA Match Lists

[PeterM]

Has anyone else been offered these tools. At present on discount. Normally costs $10 a month. Several features offered. I have looked at tree errors and I am shocked at some of the errors. Thankfully my tree is private. Despite horrible errors it says it is excellent. According to the Ancestry website it is only available in the USA.

 

[Pauline]

I’ve been offered these, although I can’t remember now whether it was on our main subscriber account, or on one of the free accounts we have for other people’s DNA tests. Either way, I didn’t take up the offer.

Personally, I think a good reasonableness checker should be freely available for all tree owners, as more accurate public trees are in everyone’s interest. Of course, it wouldn’t stop people adding events in wildly unlikely places, but it would hopefully pick up on errors such as people coming back from the dead to have children, or appear in a census etc, 200 years later!

 

[peter]

but it would hopefully pick up on errors such as people coming back from the dead to have children, or appear in a census etc, 200 years later!

I hardly ever come across such errors - probably because the larger the tree, the less likely I am to look at it.

 

[jorghes]

It will offer them to you if you happen to be on the American domain name. I've seen them.

 

[Helen7]

I notice that the format for my DNA match lists on Ancestry has recently changed. Gone are the vague '4th-6th cousin' descriptions. Every match shows an 'estimated relationship' giving 2 options, e.g. '3rd cousin 1x removed or half 3rd cousin' - unless I have assigned an actual relationship which is retained. If you click on the relationship, it shows all the options and % likelihoods with the statement that "To predict relationships, we factor in self-reported ages and genders of both people."

The other major change I can see is that the coloured dots (indicating groups) have been replaced by coloured squares with a letter inside - this being the initial letter of the name of the group. I've no problem with this as such, but having carefully arranged the colours so that reds/yellows/browns represented my maternal side and blues/greens my paternal side, I am annoyed that these have all been changed for (it seems) random colours, some of which are too similar, and which don't follow the colour scheme I'd originally set up. I can change the colours back to what they were, but that would be rather laborious.

The buttons at the right hand side have also changed. The +Add button allows you to Add/Edit a relationship, group or note, while the ... button allows you to message the person or hide the match.

I notice my husband's (free) account is still as it was - it's just my (paid-for) account that has changed. Has anyone else noticed this change, and if so, do you like it?

Here is a screenshot of a typical entry in my list:

 

[jorghes]

Just had a look at mine, it's still the same as before (I have a paid account). It might be like their usual changes, randomly rolled out to some users before everyone.

 

[Pauline]

I noticed yesterday evening that the format had changed for my match list, but I was only there briefly and didn’t notice about the colours. I’ve just been back for a closer look and the page just keeps re-loading until my iPad gives up and says there’s an issue with the page. But from what I remember, and caught a brief glimpse of just now, the format was as you picture above, except that I can’t say about the colour blobs or squares.

 

[Pauline]

I’ve now managed to get the page to load and yes, most of the colours have changed which, as you say, is very annoying. It looks to me as though the colours on offer may have changed, so maybe that is why. The initial letter in the box is useless, since most of my labels began with maternal or paternal, with a few ‘possible’s and ‘pending’s to add to the ‘P’s.

 

[Susan48]

The option to view New Matches as a group appears to have been removed, which is annoying as I used it regularly.

 

[NikiMac]

I like it so far. Using the More Filters option one can alter the Group colours and changing the colour of a Group applies that colour to all members of the Group.

 

[Helen7]

I’ve now managed to get the page to load and yes, most of the colours have changed which, as you say, is very annoying. It looks to me as though the colours on offer may have changed, so maybe that is why. The initial letter in the box is useless, since most of my labels began with maternal or paternal, with a few ‘possible’s and ‘pending’s to add to the ‘P’s.

They seem to have got rid of all the paler colours, maybe because the initial in white would be less visible. And I have several duplicates of initials (though not as bad as yours), so their use is limited.

 

[Helen7]

The option to view New Matches as a group appears to have been removed, which is annoying as I used it regularly.

You can still filter by 'Unviewed' or sort newest to oldest, which enables you to look at new matches.

 

[Helen7]

I like it so far. Using the More Filters option one can alter the Group colours and changing the colour of a Group applies that colour to all members of the Group.

Yes, I realise you can alter Group colours, but you have to go to each Group in turn and alter its colour. As noted above, the available colours have changed so you need to choose afresh.

 

[peter]

I'd like to change how I use the groups. Is there a way to 'empty out' an existing group?

 

[Pauline]

I'd like to change how I use the groups. Is there a way to 'empty out' an existing group?

Would deleting the group do that?

 

[peter]

Would deleting the group do that?

If that's an option then it probably would, But I'd want to try it on a different account first, just in case there are any unintended consequences!

 

[Pauline]

It seems to be an option, but I agree about trying it out first. Maybe you could report back on the trial in case anyone else wants to do the same.

 

[Sue_3]

I have synaesthesia and my brain automatically colour codes everything, so I set up my Ancestry DNA match group colours accordingly. I have my family history paperwork and my Family Historian trees and my digital files all colour coded in the same way. Now that Ancestry has changed all the colours they don't make sense for me! I will have to edit them all on my own and my cousin's accounts. *big sigh* I hope Ancestry don't change them again as soon as I do that. Also, there are 24 colours now and I'm not sure if there used to be more than that?

 

[peter]

there are 24 colours now and I'm not sure if there used to be more than that?

There have only ever been 24 colours. These are the original colours:

 

[peter]

For comparison these are the new colours. Even more difficult to tell them apart!