As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what made 2025 such a memorable year for Geni. From new features to a major milestone for the World Family Tree, this year was filled with discoveries, collaboration, and connections that brought family history to life. Join us as we revisit some of the highlights that made 2025 a year to remember on Geni.New Features and a Major MilestoneWe began the year by rolling out several enhancements designed to improve collaboration and customization across Geni. One of the first updates introduced wikitext formatting in discussions and inbox messages for Geni Pro users, making it easier to communicate clearly and effectively with others. The customization enhancements continued with the addition of custom profile facts to profile name displays. This update addressed one of the ongoing challenges of collaborative genealogy, balancing individual preferences within a shared tree. Geni’s flexible name preference settings now allows you to add custom profile facts to name displays, giving you even more control over how you view names across Geni without imposing your personal preference on others.We were also thrilled to unveil a new addition to Geni’s family tree views, the family tree fan chart! This fully interactive tree view offers a new way to illustrate your family history. Similar to the pedigree view, the fan chart includes only directly ancestors, but spread out in a semi-circular layout, displaying four to seven generations at a glance.The biggest milestone of the year came when Geni’s World Family Tree reached 200 million profiles! This incredible achievement was only possible thanks to the dedication, research, and collaboration of the entire Geni community. To celebrate, we offered a free day of Geni Pro to users who had contributed at least one profile to Geni. Many took advantage of the opportunity to merge, resolve Tree Matches, and clean up branches of the tree, strengthening the World Family Tree even further.We also revealed Relationship Path Diagrams, an exclusive feature for Geni Pro subscribers that provides clear, shareable visualizations of how people are connected in the World Family Tree. These diagrams offer a new and engaging way to explore relationships, especially those complex in-law connections that can be difficult to follow.Famous Connections and Surprising DiscoveriesOne of the joys of the World Family Tree is uncovering unexpected connections, and 2025 delivered memorable moments. When the Roman Catholic Church announced Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the next pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, the Geni community quickly came together to research and build his family tree. The effort revealed not only a rich and diverse heritage, but also an unexpected connection to Hollywood – actress Shailene Woodley and Pope Leo XIV are second cousins thrice removed!We also explored the Mayflower roots of several famous figures in history and pop culture. From Taylor Swift to the Wright Brothers to Orson Welles, these discoveries highlighted just how interconnected the world truly is and how fun it can be to find famous cousins along the way.Genealogy ConferencesIn 2025, we had the pleasure of connecting with genealogists face-to-face at several conferences. We kicked off the year at RootsTech 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This lively conference is always a joy to attend. It was also the first time we debuted the family tree fan chart view to the public. Geni’s General Manager Mike Stangel delivered a well-attended presentation at the MyHeritage booth showcasing this latest addition to our family tree views, drawing strong interest from attendees.In May, we travelled to Louisville, Kentucky for the NGS 2025 Family History Conference. We had a great time talking about collaboration in the World Family Tree with conference attendees. The team also had some fun outside the walls of the exhibit hall exploring the Cave Hill Cemetery where some of Louisville’s most notable figures are buried. Genealogists just can’t resist a visit to the cemetery! We wrapped up our conference season in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the 45th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. It’s always a treat to reconnect with old genealogy friends and share a meal with Geni curators. The Relationship Pathfinder was a big hit again, with attendees stopping by to tell us about a new cousin discovery.Looking AheadFrom new Geni Pro features to a new family tree view, 2025 was a busy and rewarding year for Geni. Together, we reached an incredible milestone of over 200 million connected profiles and uncovered fascinating connections across the World Family Tree. We’re excited for what’s ahead in 2026 and can’t wait to share what we have planned with the entire Geni community.Wishing you all a very happy New Year!The post A Look Back at 2025 on Geni first appeared on About Geni.