Why have I got fewer matches with Living DNA?

We have received a few customers who have commented on the smaller number of matches they are receiving compared to other services and we hear you.

When we set about deciding if we should offer DNA matching or not, we came to the conclusion that for many people it's not the number of matches you have but how Living DNA can identify and match you with that one key person not found on other databases. That is one reason that Family Networks currently only matches those who are closer than 7th degree relatives (4th Cousin).

Family networks is not a single tool but a series of tools working together that we have been introducing layer by layer to maintain as much stability as possible. We will continue to release more layers that will extend the reach of your matching this year.

With the large majority of our customers only testing at Living DNA (due to our rigorous European data laws) and many choosing not to upload their data to other sites, we've already had numerous people find close relatives who were not on other platforms. Our database is also growing all the time with 50,000 more people having opted in since the beginning of the year.

While you may not have many matches today, or even in the coming months, we really do encourage you to have your DNA on our platform and keep checking back for when more matches appear.