If you logged into your Ancestry account lately and your ethnicity numbers look different, you are not imagining it. AncestryDNA rolled out a major update in 2025 that adds new regions, refines existing ones, and gives you more interactive ways to explore where each piece of your DNA likely came from. There are also fresh details on privacy and transparency, plus helpful tweaks to how results are organized on the site.
This post breaks down the biggest changes in plain language, then shows exactly how to use them to get clearer research leads, better conversations with DNA matches, and a cleaner story you can share with family.
The 2025 Ancestral Origins update at a glance
Ancestry describes 2025 as its most ambitious Origins refresh to date. Two headlines stand out.
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More places on the map
The platform now connects your DNA to more than 3,600 places worldwide, with 68 new or updated European regions that bring extra detail for anyone with roots across the British Isles, Iberia, Italy, Germany, and nearby areas. These additions aim to replace broad country blobs with smaller, more localized slices that better reflect historical migration and endogamy patterns. Ancestry+1 -
A bigger and more finely tuned reference panel
Behind every ethnicity estimate is a reference panel. Think of it as the benchmark collection of DNA samples used to decide what your segments most resemble. In 2025, Ancestry reports using 185,063 samples to represent 146 global regions, up from about 116,830 samples and 107 regions previously. That extra depth is meant to reduce misclassification and sharpen boundaries where populations overlap. The white paper also explains that the team filtered out overly admixed candidates and used quality control methods like PCA to keep each panel coherent. ancestrycdn.com
Why your numbers changed
When a company expands and retrains the models that label your segments, your percentages and even some region names can shift. For example, a large umbrella like England and Northwestern Europe may split into multiple English subregions or into specific Irish provinces such as Connacht, Leinster, Donegal, and Munster. That does not mean your identity changed overnight. It means the algorithm is using a new atlas and a larger sample library to read the same DNA with finer resolution. ancestrycdn.com+1
New display choices you may notice
Some accounts will see a staged rollout, with certain features becoming visible later in the year. If a friend sees a view you do not have yet, check again in a few weeks. Ancestry notes that some customers will not get specific display updates until December 2025. Ancestry
Chromosome Painter: what it is and how to use it
Chromosome Painter lets you view your 22 autosomes as colored bars and see where each ancestral region appears, split by maternal and paternal sides. Instead of just reading a list that says 28 percent this or 12 percent that, you can learn where those assignments sit on your genome and which parent likely contributed them. This tool complements the by parent views powered by SideView technology. Your DNA Guide - Diahan Southard
Quick start
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Log in and go to DNA, then Origins, then the by parent tab.
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Choose Chromosome Painter.
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Toggle All, Maternal, or Paternal to spotlight each side.
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Click a region in the sidebar to see every place it occurs. You can also filter to a single parent to discover one sided segments. Your DNA Guide - Diahan Southard
Why this matters for research
Painted segments are not a chromosome browser for match comparison in the traditional sense. They do, however, help you form better hypotheses. For example, if a small Basque segment appears only on the paternal side and your paternal tree has a gap in a locale with proven Basque migration, you just found a clue to target with records and matches. You can also compare your painted view with relatives who share their screens or manage each other’s results, which may help you triangulate a most recent common ancestor for a specific ethnicity tagged segment. Your DNA Guide - Diahan Southard
SideView in plain language
SideView is Ancestry’s phasing technology that attempts to split your genome into parental halves even when your parents did not test. It uses patterns of sharing across the match network to predict which segments came from which parent. That prediction powers by parent ethnicity, by parent journeys, and the Chromosome Painter experience. Launched in 2022, SideView is now the default behind many of Ancestry’s DNA visualizations. Ancestry Support+1
What SideView can and cannot do
SideView can be excellent at separating maternal and paternal signals for large chunks of your autosomes. Still, it is an inference based on statistical phasing, not a lab test of your parents. Expect occasional edge cases where a tiny sliver lands on the wrong side. Treat it like a strong hint that should agree with your match patterns and your paper trail most of the time. Ancestry Support
Under the hood of the new reference panel
Ancestry’s 2025 white paper offers a rare peek into how the new model was built.
• Massive sample set and strict filtering
The paper describes a multi step approach that emphasizes identity by descent networks to find individuals with deep roots in one region and to filter out those with recent mixed origins that could muddy signals. They cap panel training at thousands of carefully chosen samples per region and validate with held out data to avoid overfitting. ancestrycdn.com
• Special handling in admixed regions
In areas like the Americas and parts of Oceania where indigenous and post contact ancestries overlap, the team uses only the indigenous labeled windows of DNA for the reference panel rather than the entire genome of a candidate. The idea is to teach the model a cleaner signal of the indigenous component. ancestrycdn.com
• What this means for your map
Regions that historically blur together, such as England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, can still show overlap. The update introduces more subdivisions, but human history does not respect neat borders. Use each region’s map and confidence range to frame your expectations before you run off to rewrite your entire tree. ancestrycdn.com
Macro regions, nested percentages, and decimal precision
Many users reported seeing regions grouped under larger macro regions and percentages that roll up in a nested way. The nested layout can help you understand your story at both a zoomed out and zoomed in level. Decimal precision for smaller components can also reveal trace signals that older rounded displays would hide. This reorganization is geared toward readability and side by side comparison across time. Note that rollouts and wording may vary as Ancestry iterates on the interface through late 2025. Ancestry
How to turn the new features into better genealogy
Here is a practical workflow you can follow in a single sitting.
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Screenshot your old and new results
Keep a local archive each time Ancestry updates its models. Make one image of your 2024 list and one of your 2025 list, then label them clearly. That way, you can track how estimates evolve as the science and reference data grow. This is essential for client work and for your own research journal. -
Audit the big movers
Focus on components that changed by more than 5 percentage points or that split into multiple subregions. Ask which ancestor lines could explain the shift. Did a category like Germanic Europe split into Southern Germany and Northwestern Germany that match your known great grandparent birthplaces This is a win. If a surprise region appeared, tag it for targeted testing with known cousins. -
Use Chromosome Painter to assign leads to a parent
If a new Iberian subregion now shows 4 percent on your paternal side only, open Matches and filter for paternal side only with connections to Spain or Portugal. Message those matches and politely ask about their proven lines. If they share a specific Spanish province in common across several paternal matches, you have a working hypothesis for the ancestor who carried that segment. -
Combine regions with record sets
Once you have a subregion, pick record sets that align with known migration routes. English Midlands subregions point you toward industrial era departures and nonconformist records. Donegal or Connacht can indicate specific Irish emigration patterns with parish and land valuation records that target your time frame. The region label narrows the haystack. Parish maps and county histories point you to the needles. -
Cross check with your tree and shared matches
For each region you care about, use shared matches to cluster cousins who likely descend from the same ancestor. Label those clusters in your match notes. You do not need exact segment coordinates to confirm that ten paternal side matches all point to a German line that emigrated to the Midwest between 1840 and 1860. Consistency across documentary and genetic evidence is the goal.
Privacy and transparency in 2025
Any time DNA features expand, privacy questions come up. Here is the current snapshot.
• Transparency reporting
Ancestry publishes statistics about government and law enforcement requests across its services. The 2025 report outlines how many valid requests were received and the circumstances under which data may be disclosed. The company says it requires proper legal process and details its approach in a separate guide for law enforcement. Ancestry+1
• Privacy statement updates
Ancestry’s privacy statement was updated in August 2025, with the company and outside commentators noting changes to reflect evolving laws and to clarify how customer data is handled. If you have not read the latest version, take ten minutes to review the DNA sections and your settings. Ancestry+1
• The broader industry context
Elsewhere in the consumer genetics world, 23andMe faced a bankruptcy process in 2025 after a series of challenges, which sparked renewed public attention on genetic data governance. While that is a different company, the news served as a reminder for all DNA customers to audit privacy settings, learn how account deletion works, and understand which laws actually protect them. The Guardian+1
• Practical steps you can take today
Review your Ancestry privacy controls for DNA matches, ethnicity sharing, and research consent. Decide what you want visible to matches and whether to participate in research. Download a copy of your raw data for your personal archive if you wish. Read Ancestry’s Law Enforcement Guide and Transparency Report to understand policies before you need to. Ancestry+1
What to do when your results look wrong
Ethnicity estimates will always contain uncertainty. Regions can gain or lose percentages as models improve. The popular press has covered this for years and reminds readers that ethnicity labels are probabilistic, not absolute identity claims. Treat them as a research aid, not a verdict. Use ranges and confidence information for context, and lean on paper records plus shared matches to confirm or refute stories you build from the map. WIRED
Common questions about AncestryDNA in 2025
Why did I lose a region I was sure about
Possible reasons include stronger separation between nearby populations, a different balance of reference samples for your region, or a re-label that split your old category into several pieces. Search the new map for subdivisions that might contain your old signal. Then verify with matches on the correct parental side. Ancestry+1
Do decimal percentages change what I should believe
Decimals are a display choice. They can reveal tiny traces that older rounding hid, but tiny traces should always be treated with caution. Look for consistent evidence from matches and records before you celebrate a 0.3 percent find.
Is Chromosome Painter a replacement for a match based chromosome browser
No. It paints population assignments across your chromosomes. It does not give segment coordinates for comparing matches in the classic way. It is still useful for building hypotheses about which ancestor lines carry which regional signals. Your DNA Guide - Diahan Southard
Can SideView get a parent wrong
Small segments can occasionally land on the wrong side. Use known maternal and paternal matches to sanity check assignments. If a segment shows on the maternal side but every cousin who shares that line is paternal, trust your network more than a tiny sliver of color. Ancestry Support
What if my account does not show new views yet
Ancestry has stated that some features will reach all customers by December 2025. Rollouts can be staggered by region and platform. Ancestry
A step by step 30 day plan for power users
Day 1
Export or screenshot your 2024 and 2025 results. List the three biggest movers. Note any new subregions.
Day 2
Open Chromosome Painter. For each new subregion, note whether it appears on maternal, paternal, or both sides. Start a simple table in your notes.
Day 3 to 5
Filter your DNA matches by side and by location hints. Tag matches whose trees reference towns inside your new subregions.
Day 6 to 10
For one subregion, draw a micro timeline. Add known migration routes, wars, and religious affiliations that would have pushed people out of that place during the right century. Tie this to specific record sets.
Day 11 to 15
Write to 5 to 10 matches in that cluster. Keep messages short and friendly. Ask specifically about towns, surnames, and church records related to the subregion you are testing.
Day 16 to 20
Build a cluster tree for the region using only the matches from the correct parental side. Mark every hint in your tree software, even if it is unproven.
Day 21 to 25
Revisit the white paper’s region list to understand neighboring regions that could plausibly bleed into yours. If the borders are fuzzy, expand your search to the obvious neighbors. ancestrycdn.com
Day 26 to 30
Write a one page summary for your family. Keep it simple. One paragraph on what changed. One paragraph on what you found. One paragraph on what you are doing next. Attach the screenshots and your map pins.
Key takeaways
• The 2025 Origins update expands regions and improves the reference panel, which can shift your numbers and labels in healthy ways. Ancestry+1
• Chromosome Painter and by parent views help you turn percentages into parent specific leads. Your DNA Guide - Diahan Southard
• SideView powers those splits even if your parents did not test. Treat it as a strong hint to be checked against your match network. Ancestry Support
• Read the latest privacy statement and transparency report so you know how your data is handled. Ancestry+1
• Use a structured workflow to turn shiny new features into real discoveries.
Sources
AncestryDNA 2025 Origins update overview pages and blog posts. Highlights include 3,600 plus places and 68 new and updated European regions. Ancestry+1
AncestryDNA Ancestral Regions white paper 2025. Details the 185,063 sample reference panel, 146 global regions, QC steps, and special handling for admixed regions. ancestrycdn.com
Your DNA Guide overview of Chromosome Painter. Explains how to access and interpret the by parent painted view, last updated January 13, 2025. Your DNA Guide - Diahan Southard
Ancestry SideView explainer and original press release. Background on phasing tech that splits results by parent without parental tests. Ancestry Support+1
Ancestry statement on feature rollout timing for some customers by December 2025. Ancestry
Ancestry Transparency Report page and Law Enforcement Guide. Current approach to legal requests and reporting. Ancestry+1
Ancestry Privacy Statement and coverage of the August 2025 update. What changed in the policy and why it matters. Ancestry+1
Wired backgrounder on the limits of ethnicity estimates and why results shift over time. Good context for interpreting changes. WIRED
News coverage about 23andMe bankruptcy for broader industry context and user privacy reminders. The Guardian+1
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