What Happens to an Apple Account After Someone Dies

An Apple Account holds a lot of what matters to families: photos, messages, notes, files, and device backups. Apple has a built-in way for people to plan for this, and a more demanding process for families when nobody did. This guide covers both. For the device itself (the phone or tablet in your hand), see who gets your iPhone and can your family unlock your phone after you die.

What is a Legacy Contact?

A Legacy Contact is someone you choose to have access to the data in your Apple Account after your death. Apple calls it the easiest, most secure way to give someone you trust that access. To add one, you need:

• Two-factor authentication turned on (most accounts already have it)
• A device running iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, or macOS 12.1 or later
• The Legacy Contact must be over 13 (the age varies by country or region) to request access, but they can be any age otherwise and don’t need an Apple Account or an Apple device

You can add one or more Legacy Contacts in your Apple Account settings, and send them an iMessage when you add them. They also need the access key you generate, so share it or store it where they can find it, such as in your estate planning documents.

What can a Legacy Contact access?

According to Apple, the data may include photos, messages, notes, files, device backups, and more.

They can’t access:

• Movies, music, books, or subscriptions you purchased with your Apple Account
• Data in the iCloud Keychain, including payment information, passwords, and passkeys

How does a Legacy Contact request access?

The Legacy Contact needs both:

1. The unique access key created when they were added
2. A death certificate

They can start the request on their own device or on Apple’s Digital Legacy request page. Apple reviews the request and gives access only after verifying the information. When approved, the Legacy Contact receives a special Apple Account to set up and use to reach the data, and they need the access key again to do so. Apple notes the access key might be in the person’s Apple Account settings, printed, or in their estate planning documents.

How long do they have? Third-party descriptions of Apple’s documentation say a Legacy Contact has access for a limited time, three years from when the first request is approved, after which the account is permanently deleted, and that with more than one Legacy Contact, any one of them can make decisions about the data, including deleting it. We couldn’t confirm this on Apple’s current page, so check with Apple, and download what you need promptly.

What if there’s no Legacy Contact?

Apple says you can still ask to delete the account or request access to an account:

• To delete an account: you can start a request on Apple’s Digital Legacy site
• To request access: Apple says this generally involves a death certificate and may also require a court order or other documentation. In the U.S. and other places, you can request access with a court order that names you as the rightful inheritor of your loved one’s personal information

Where applicable, Apple says the court order needs to specify:

• The name and Apple Account of the deceased person
• The name of the next of kin requesting access
• That Apple is ordered by the court to assist in providing access to the person’s information from their accounts, addressed to the relevant Apple entity

If you have a court order with this information, or need more help, Apple says to contact Apple Support. In some countries Apple may accept a different document than a death certificate; for example, in Japan it may ask for a family certificate.

Getting a court order usually means working with an attorney, often through the probate court. See who can access a dead person’s online accounts.

What about the device itself?

The Legacy Contact process Apple describes is about the account and its data, and it doesn’t mention unlocking a device. See who gets your iPhone. Having the physical device doesn’t by itself give you the account.

What should I do first as a family member?

1. Look for an access key in the person’s documents, estate planning folder, or your own Apple Account settings, if they named you
2. Ask whether a Legacy Contact was set up. If you’re the one, start the request with the key and a death certificate
3. If there’s no key, talk with the executor or an attorney about a court order, and consider asking Apple to delete the account only after you’ve gotten any content you need
4. Look for other copies of important photos and files on phones, computers, and other backups. See cloud photos and online subscriptions after a death
5. Check subscriptions billed through the account, so you can cancel or transfer them

How do I set up my own Legacy Contact?

1. Make sure two-factor authentication is on and your devices are updated
2. In your Apple Account settings, choose Add Legacy Contact and pick a person (you can add more than one)
3. Share the access key, and store a copy with your estate planning documents
4. Remember that purchases and the Keychain aren’t included, so keep a separate way to hand on passwords and subscriptions your family needs
5. Add it to your Final Day Plan. See digital legacy planning in advance

Apple’s tools and policies change. This is general information; use Apple’s current support pages for the exact steps, and an attorney for questions about court orders or authority.