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Step 1: Get the app

Download the BillionGraves App

You can become a BillionGraves volunteer! Just download the app, find a cemetery near you, and start taking pictures.

Step 2:
Find a cemetery
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  1. Step 1:

    Get the app

    • Why do I need the app? As you take photos of gravestones with the BillionGraves app, each image is automatically tagged with GPS coordinates and plotted on a map of the cemetery. It's so easy! Just point and tap! Then when you are done for the day, click the upload button right at the cemetery or after you connect to Wi-Fi. We will take care of making sure that your photos end up in the right place. The data is then made readily available at BillionGraves.com for millions of families around the globe for generations to come.
    • Which devices does the app work on? The BillionGraves app is available on all iOS and Android phones. In order to take pictures, we require that your device has GPS, so iPads that don't have data capabilities and Android devices that don't have GPS can't take pictures.
  2. Getting Started

    1. Download the BillionGraves app to your smartphone from your app store. 
    2. In the app, click on "Take Pictures" to begin taking photos in your local cemetery. The GPS    coordinates will automatically be recorded.
    3. Go up and down the rows, taking pictures of each gravestone until you have completed an entire section or the entire cemetery. Keep moving at a quick pace. If you take 1 photo every 15 seconds you will have taken almost 250 photos in an hour! 
    4. When you are finished, tap on the "X" in the corner of your screen. When the orange button that says "upload" appears, tap on it to submit your gravestone photos.
    5. At home, connect to Wi-Fi and tap on "Photos." When the orange button that says "upload" appears, tap on it to submit your gravestone photos.
    6. Repeat! :)
  3. Photo-taking Tips

    1. Stand to the side to avoid casting a shadow.
    2. Remove weeds, grass, or other debris that may block gravestone information.
    3. Be sure names and dates are inside the photo frame.
  4. Linking Photos with the BillionGraves App

    • If a gravestone has data on more than one side (for example,parents on one side and children on the other side) there is a way to link them together. Just click on the chain icon in the corner of your screen between each photo that you would like to link (front side, chain icon, backside).
    • You can use this linking feature for obelisks that have data on four sides. You can also use it to link a large gravestone with a family surname on it to nearby smaller gravestones with the family member`s first names on them.
  5. Upload Your Photos

    • When you are finished taking photos for the day, you can upload your photos right at the cemetery, if you have unlimited data, or you can wait until you connect to Wi-Fi to upload them.
    • From the app`s home screen, tap on the "Photos" button in the bottom right-hand side of the screen. An orange button that says "upload" will appear. Tap it and your photos will automatically be sent to the BillionGraves database to help families find their ancestors for generations to come!