Relationship Levels
Every person is exactly this many steps away.
RL is the distance between you and anyone in the network — measured in confirmed family relationships, not guesses or algorithms.
The eight levels
From your closest family to the edge of your network.
Tap any level to see who it includes, how the connection is calculated, and what label it carries in the app.
RL1 is the innermost ring — the people whose relationship to you has a specific, fixed name that doesn't depend on any path. These are confirmed directly, one relationship at a time, by both people.
RL2 is your direct family's direct family — one step beyond your innermost circle. Most RL2 relationships have a recognised name in everyday language, so the app shows a fixed label where it can calculate one.
RL3 is three confirmed HOPs from you. When the path goes parent → sibling → child, the app recognises this as a cousin and shows a fixed label. Any other three-HOP pattern is shown as a path-based description instead.
From RL4 onwards, there is no single standard term that covers every possible combination of family relationships. The app always shows the path — who connects you to them, step by step — rather than guessing at a label that might not fit.
Why no fixed label?
English doesn't have a single word for "brother's wife's brother's daughter." Rather than inventing one, rl8 shows the path so you can see exactly how the connection forms — one hop at a time.
RL5 through RL8 are longer chains of confirmed family relationships. Each hop is still a real, confirmed connection — these are not weak or guessed links. They are simply further along the family network.
The further the connection, the rarer the path.
RL8 means seven separate families have confirmed relationships that form a chain leading from you to that person. That's a remarkable thing to be able to say about any two people.
How labels work
Fixed labels vs. path-based labels
The app uses two different labelling approaches depending on whether a clean, standard term exists for the connection.
Fixed label
When a relationship has a standard name that everyone recognises — Father, Grandmother, Sister-in-law, Cousin — the app shows that name directly. No explanation needed. The label is the same regardless of how the path was traced.
Path-based label
When there's no single standard term that fits, the app shows the path itself — who connects you to them, step by step. Each HOP in the path is one confirmed family relationship. You read the chain from left to right to understand the connection.
Your network is bigger than you think. Get the RL8 app.
Every confirmed relationship adds new people you're connected to — including ones you've never met. Open RL8 to see your own path.
