Do the TikTok "Find out Your Genetic Heritage" Challenge With This Instagram Filter
Updated April 29 2020, 11:40 a.m. ET
Sure, you could find out your real genetic heritage with 23andMe or Ancestry DNA kits, and that might be totally accurate, but it's a lot less fun than the "Find Out Your Genetic Heritage" filter on Instagram. The camera filter "scans" your face as if it's analyzing your facial features and comparing it to a database, only to conclude by morphing your face into something hilariously unrecognizable and rarely, if ever, human. If you want to play along, we'll walk you through how to find and add the filter to your IG story.
Here's how to add the "Find out Your Genetic Heritage" Instagram filter.
If you already use the Stories feature on Instagram regularly, you probably know all about face filters, but for folks who keep it old school and only do grid posts (that is posts that stay on your homepage longer than 24 hours and show up in followers' feeds), you might need a brief walkthrough on how to create an Instagram story.
When you open the app, tap the camera icon in the upper-left corner and it will automatically open the selfie camera. Along the bottom of the frame, you will see some bubbles containing various camera filters you can add to enhance or manipulate your selfie, which you can scan through by swiping left or right. if you swipe left to the end, you'll see a bubble with a magnifying glass and the label below will say "Browse Effects." Just tap and then tap the magnifying glass in the top-right corner to search all filters and type "genetics scanner.
The process below will help you search for any filter, but if you just want the genetics filter, you could also just the filter creator's page — that's @iamcraiglewis2 — and tap the link in his bio.
This will show you a preview of how the filter works. You can tap "try it" in the bottom-left corner to use it once or tap the down arrow icon on the right to add to your filters for later use. Voila, you're ready to find out that, while you were always told your family came from England and France, you're actually 93 percent wasp.
Just hold the shutter button as the filter "scans" your face and shows your result. From there, you can post to your story, send to individual friends in a DM, or tap the download icon to download to your phone's photo album, where you can share it on any platform you like.
Here are some of the possible options the genetics filter will give you.
While we aren't sure if we've completely exhausted the possibilities, here are some of the cousins you may find out are in your family tree:
- Warthog
- Pigeon
- Wasp
- Dog
- Sloth
- Slug
- Mole
- Hippo
- Blobfish
- Llama
- Chameleon
- Rat
- Platypus
- Crow
- Crab
There are probably a ton more options, but we have to get back to work. Have fun!