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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Mac genealogy software and iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches.
What Mac OS X genealogy applications currently support Apple’s iOS / iPhone OS platform, with dedicated genealogy programs for iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches?
Right now there are two applications – Reunion 9 and MacFamilyTree
What about in the future?
There is a good chance that Family Tree Maker 2011 for Mac will support some sort of iOS mobile application. There is already an application, Ancestry.com Tree-to-Go (MobileGenealogy.com) which allows for functionality/access to Ancestry.com, so Ancestry.com has people working on iPhone/iPad apps.
Which application is the best?
That depends on your personal tastes in genealogy software on your Macintosh, and not necessarily the mobile apps, since most of your time editing/adding data will be sitting down at a MacBook, iMac, etc. You can download trials of both Reunion and MacFamilyTree from their respective websites (see the links above). I can say from personal experience that both the Reunion and MacFamilyTree mobile applications are solid and work well. MobileFamilyTree has had more updates, but you should be happy with either one. Leister Productions (Reunion) and Synium Software (MacFamilyTree) both understand Mac users and “get” how iPhones and iPads should work.
What if I don’t use Reunion or MacFamilyTree and want to view my genealogy data on the go?y
You’re in luck. There are several other iPhone/iPod touch/iPad applications available that allow you to import and export GEDCOM files. Check the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad genealogy software listing at MobileGenealogy.com.
So tell me about Reunion and iOS / iPhone OS.
Reunion 9 actually has two separate iPhone/iOS applications. One is Reunion for iPhone (and iPod touch) (MobileGenealogy.com). It does require Reunion 9.0c to be installed on your Mac. The other mobile application is Reunion for iPad (MobileGenealogy.com) and it, as you guessed from the name, works only on iPad. Reunion for iPhone will run on an iPad, however it is highly recommended you install Reunion for iPad if you have an iPad, as it is designed for the resolution and form factor of the iPad and fully takes advantage of it.
Reunion for iPhone/iPad allows you to take your Reunion genealogy data with you – family trees, names, events, notes, logs, source information, and images. You can edit, search, browse, and look at your Reunion information on your iOS device, and you can export it back to your Reunion application on your Macintosh.
Downloads for Reunion iOS / iPhone OS applications:
* Requires Reunion 9.0c to be installed on your Mac
* Reunion – Leister Productions, Inc (Mac)
* ReunionTouch – Leister Productions, Inc (iPad)
Okay, tell me about MacFamilyTree and iOS / iPhone OS.
MacFamilyTree 5.7 (with the latest updates) and MacFamilyTree 6 support the MobileFamilyTree application. MobileFamilyTree 2.5.2 (MobileGenealogy.com) is the latest version. Similar to Reunion for iPhone/iPad, MobileFamilyTree allows you to take your MacFamilyTree genealogy data with you, as well as edit, view, add to it, etc., and then synchronize the changes back to your desktop or laptop copy of MacFamilyTree.
Downloads for MobileFamilyTree:
* Requires latest versions of either MacFamilyTree 5.7 or MacFamilyTree 6
* Update: MacFamilyTree 8 – Synium Software GmbH
* Update: MobileFamilyTree 8 – Synium Software GmbH – $17.99