Legacy Mobile Version 1.1 Available
The newest version of Legacy Mobile (v.1.1) is now available for iOS on the App Store. We heard your feedback and made some improvements you were looking for.
Here’s what you’ll see on the latest version of the app:
Bug fixes. Some of these bugs would make the app crash or the keyboard to lock up (not allowing people to add information in). We caught a bunch of these annoying little errors and fixed them for this version!
Navigation Bar and a History Management button on Family Tree view.
We realized navigating through the family tree was kind of tricky, so we added some forward and back buttons that work similar to your browser’s buttons.
In between these buttons, we also added a history management button that brings up the people you recently viewed for easier navigation between family records.
Information downloading from Family Search won’t keep you from viewing your family tree.
In the previous version, you had to wait until the information from Family Search loaded in order to navigate around your family tree. Now, all you will see are little loading indicators for places in your tree that are downloading from Family Search.
Tree View Hints.
Still feeling a little lost in the app? We added some hints in the family tree view to help you sort things out. Once you use the app a few times, these won’t appear anymore.
More options for adding/editing events.
Now you can add more life events in to an individual’s record! There are a bunch of new options: Adoption, Adult Christening, Baptism, BarMitzvah, Census, Christening, Cremation, Divorce, Funeral, Moves, and much more!
If you haven’t already, download this version from the App Store and try out the latest and greatest Legacy Mobile Features!
New iOS App Version Available
The latest version of the iOS App (Version 3.1) is available on the app store. Make sure you check the app store and download it on your device! Besides some minor bug fixes, this new version of the app has two brand-new features!
Transcribing from the app. This feature allows you to transcribe those headstones that are practically impossible to read from a photograph. This way you can look at the stone from all angles and even run your fingers along the indents to ensure that the correct information is transcribed!
Watch this video to find out how to use it (don’t miss the “magic” feature at the end!):
Adding new images to records already on BillionGraves. Have you seen a record on BillionGraves that needs to be updated (for instance, a new date has been added to the headstone or the first image didn’t have all the information on the headstone)? This feature allows you to make those corrections!
See how it works on this short video:
These are just two of the many ways we are improving the BillionGraves mobile app. We hope to get these new features out for the Android app soon. We’ll keep you posted as more improvements become available!
Million More in May: Happy Memorial Day!
Happy Memorial Day weekend to those in the US! At a time when we pause to remember those who fought for our freedom, we visit our cemeteries and show our love with tokens and kind words. In honor of Memorial Day, some members of the BillionGraves team put together a fun video about finding your ancestors’ headstones using BillionGraves.
FamilySearch News
You may have seen the good news: the BillionGraves Index is now available through FamilySearch! Now when you conduct a search on FamilySearch, BillionGraves data will be included in the results. You can also choose to search through just the BillionGraves Index, if you want to narrow your results. BillionGraves is a great genealogical resource, and we’re excited to have this new avenue to access our GPS-encoded headstone data. FamilySearch also provided a great article about getting started with BillionGraves on their blog last week.
A Few Clarifications
We’ve been checking the comments on some message boards and we want to clarify two things:
1. The data on BillionGraves is created by the public. We respect that and we intend to always make the database free for the public to use.
2. You don’t necessarily need a data plan to use BillionGraves. We’ve looked into the $150 Samsung Galaxy Player, which has GPS, WiFi, and a camera, and it works great. You won’t be able to see that you’re in a specific cemetery, but don’t worry, we’ll take care of that on our end, and your pictures will be added to the correct cemetery.
Don’t forget to check the Leaderboard this weekend to see what you need to do to get on it! (Or stay on it, if you’re already there.) Have a great weekend and keep adding photos for Million More in May!
BillionGraves Plus
We’re unveiling new features on BillionGraves! All of the free features that you’ve come to enjoy are still free.
Introducing:
BillionGraves Plus
By opening a Plus account, you can access all of the BillionGraves features.
- 30 Records Watches: A Record Watch means you’ve submitted a specific surname you’d like to monitor at BillionGraves. Whenever a headstone with your specified surname is transcribed, you are notified via email. With these notifications, you’ll always know the latest data on your family history.
- Virtual Walkthrough: from any record view, you can click on the Nearby Records tab, where you will be able to see surrounding headstones in that cemetery. This is a great way to learn additional information about other people buried in that cemetery. We hope you make valuable research connections as you experience the whole cemetery where your ancestor is buried.
- Mobile Records Search: You can search and view all BillionGraves records directly from your iPhone, iPad, or Android device in addition to searching on the web. This means that while you are in a cemetery, you’ll be able to lookup a name to help you find a specific headstone or specific surnames buried in that cemetery.
- Favorites: This feature is coming soon, but we’re really excited to share it with you. You’ll be able to keep track of all your favorite BillionGraves records in one place. Once you mark a record as a favorite, you’ll never have to search for it again; it will be easily accessible from your Favorites page.
The BillionGraves Plus account is only $9.99 per year. And if 30 Record Watches isn’t enough, you can purchase Notification Packages, which include 10 additional Record Watches. You can purchase a Notification Package even if you don’t have the Plus account. For more information on signing up for a BillionGraves Plus account, visit BillionGraves.com.
Earn New Features for Free
Because we love our volunteers, we have started a program to reward you for your hard work: you can earn features just by uploading new images! When you upload just 500 images, you will receive 1 Records Watch (you can be emailed notifications when a certain surname has been added to the BillionGraves database). At 1000 images, you’ll receive an additional Records Watch. Then, you’ll continue to earn features for every 1000 images you upload. Visit the Upgrade page for more details. We know you’ll enjoy making a habit out of recording headstones, and we want to reward you for your efforts.
Of course, all of these features only serve to enhance your experience on BillionGraves. Our database of records will always be free. You do not need a BillionGraves Plus account in order to continue using BillionGraves.
We hope you are as excited about these new features as we are. Thanks again to all of our volunteers—image uploaders and transcribers alike—we couldn’t do it without you! Start uploading more pictures so you can earn your first Records Watch!
New Features: Messaging and Updated Records View
We’ve added some new features to the BillionGraves website, and we are excited for you to try them out.
The first is the ability to message other BillionGraves users. Go to a specific cemetery page, and below the map, click the tab labeled “Contributors.” You can view every user that contributed to documenting that cemetery.
If you click on a contributor’s user name, a box will pop up with basic information about that user—their user name and location, if they’ve disclosed it—and an option to send them a message.