On Monday, December 13, 2021, Apple released update iOS 15.2 which includes a new feature called Digital Legacy.
Digital Legacy will let you select specific people to be able to access your account after you die.
Until now, it has been very difficult for loved ones to access an Apple account of a family member or friend who died unless they possessed the decedent’s passcode or iCloud information. Surviving family members sometimes had to get a court order for access to their digital data. That access can be very helpful if a surviving family member needs phone numbers, emails, passwords, notes, and other information that might be stored with Apple.
The selected persons can access data stored in iCloud, like photos and documents, after the original user dies, if they have a special access key and a copy of the death certificate. Digital Legacy users would select those people most likely to have the death certificate.
Here’s how to set it up:
First, update to iOS 15.2 by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Then set up Digital Legacy:
• Open Settings on your iPhone and click your name at the top of the page.
• Select “Password & Security,” and then “Legacy Contact.”
• Designate up to five contacts as legacy contacts.
• Print the access code and keep it in a safe place with your other estate planning documents.
• Your Digital Legacy contacts will need to provide that code and a death certificate to access your account.
• Legacy contacts will have access to the account for three years after which the account will be permanently deleted.
Apple has more information about how to request access to a deceased loved one’s account here.
If you have any questions, please contact us.