Apple’s “Legacy Contact” feature is a planning tool for your digital estate. When we make wills or other estate planning documents, we often focus on tangible assets like the car and fine china or on real property, such as the house. Today, some of our most invaluable assets are stored on our phones. Without proper planning, access to a loved one’s Apple account after his or her death is difficult, expensive, and time-consuming. If a person wishes to be proactive, Apple now offers the Legacy Contact feature as a planning tool. Keep reading to learn more.

Legacy Contact Feature

The Legacy Contact feature is a great alternative for individuals who prefer to avoid working through a court proceeding to gain access to a decedent’s iCloud account. Apple’s Legacy Contact allows an account holder to designate trusted people who are allowed to have access to his or her account data after his or her death.

Once the account holder is deceased, the designated contact person may go to Apple’s website and request access using the account holder’s death certificate and an access key, which is distributed to the Legacy Contact upon being delegated as such.

How to Appoint a Legacy Contact

An account holder can add up to five Legacy Contacts in his or her iPhone settings. To do so, first the account holder goes to Settings and taps his or her name at the top of the screen (otherwise known as Profile). Next, the account holder taps Sign In and Security, and then “Legacy Contact.” Once the account holder is at the Legacy Contact screen, he or she can scroll through his or her contact list and designate a contact as a Legacy Contact. Please note that each person selected must also be an iPhone holder (or at least have an Apple ID).

Once the account holder has designated a Legacy Contact, he or she will get a text with notice of the designation. That person can then access his or her account to find the access key: Settings, tap on your name > Sign in and Security > Legacy Contact.

How Does a Legacy Contact Gain Account Access?

If you are a Legacy Contact, you will need to request access to the decedent’s account through Apple.

First, go to Digital Legacy-Request access, tap or click on Request Access, and sign in with your Apple ID. After your identity is verified, you will need to upload the decedent account holder’s death certificate and enter your access key. Once Apple approves your request, you will receive an email containing a special Legacy Contact Apple account, which will be used to access the account holder’s data. From there, you will be able to access the account holder’s iCloud data for three years (from approval date).

What Data Can a Legacy Contact Access?

Privacy measures protect sensitive information, so signing into a Legacy Contact account is not the equivalent of logging into the account with the original account holder’s Apple ID username and password.

A Legacy Contact has access to:

• iCloud photos
• Notes
• Mail
• Contacts
• Calendars
• Reminders
• Call history
• Files stored in iCloud drive
• iPhone Health app data
• Voice memos
• Safari bookmarks and reading list
• iCloud messages

Legacy Contacts do not have access to:

• Licensed media, such as books or music purchased on the phone
• In-app purchases
• Payment information, like credit card numbers or other Apple payment options
• Information stored in the account holder’s keychain, such as usernames and passwords for websites and internet accounts, credit card numbers, or Wi-Fi passwords

We Can Help You Plan Ahead

If you or a loved one would like to pass on your digital legacy without subjecting your family to an expensive and time-consuming court proceeding, the Apple Legacy Contact feature may be the perfect solution for you.

As always, for any of your estate planning or elder law needs, feel free to contact one of Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.’s estate planning and elder law attorneys: Susan T. Peterson-Lerdahl, Adam J. Kaufman, Eric J. Lilly, David T. Estle, and Rachell L. Henning.