Not your average estate planning recommendation!
Did you know when you die, Apple (and Google/Android/whatever) won't give anyone access to your data? That includes:
- Text messages
- Pictures on your phone
- Access to your home alarm security app
- Access to Facebook or other apps
- And more
Now if you know the password, it's easy enough to log in. But that falls under the same laws as opening someone else's mail. 1
Ridiculous?
I might think so too, but rules are rules.
However, I was pleased to recently learn that there is a way to effectively add a beneficiary to your iPhone!
It's called a Legacy Contact.
Apple users can add a Legacy Contact for their Apple ID. Adding a Legacy Contact is the easiest, most secure way to give someone they trust access to the data they stored in their Apple account after they pass away. 2
The process is pretty simple. Here is a step by step screenshot of how I did it to my own iPhone.
Open your settings app:
Click on your Apple ID name towards the top, then select "Password & Security".
Scroll down to "Legacy Contact":
After I added my Legacy Contact (you can add more than one person such as a spouse, a child, or a trusted friend) I chose to click "Print Access Key" to get the proof document.
After you get to the print screen, you can click "Print" again and email the document to yourself .
I printed the document for my wife and added it to the other estate planning documents (like a will, trust, and instruction on how to pay the bills).
Was this helpful?
Not your average estate planning recommendation, but I thought it would add massive value to an otherwise unknown potential issue.
Feel free to forward this to your friend and family who may also find value in it.
1. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title18/USCODE-2011-title18-partI-chap83-sec1708/context
2. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208510