New for Apple Users: Set Up Digital Legacy
If you’re an iPhone user (and there are more than a billion, so if it’s not you, it very well might be someone you care about) there is excellent news about a feature coming to iOS 15 that you may have missed.
For the first time, Apple has introduced a feature that allows you to identify a Legacy Contact! This is huge because until now, it was insanely difficult for families to get access to their deceased loved ones’ iCloud photos, emails and data unless the family had their Apple ID and password. (And Apple doesn’t want you to share that information, of course!)
Here’s How to Identify a Legacy Contact in Apple:
Open the Settings app
Tap your name at the top of the screen
Select Password and Security
Then, tap Legacy Contact
Tap Add Legacy Contact
Sign in using your Apple ID password
Choose the person you want to be your Legacy Contact from your Contacts list, then select their phone number
Tap Continue
If you don’t see the Legacy Contact option, that means you might not have iOS 15 or the feature hasn’t been rolled out to you yet.
Following this process means your chosen person receives a Legacy Contact Access Key that’s very important to keep safe. You should have a place for all your important documents and information by now (no? We can help with that) so we recommend storing a copy in your digital vault and physical document storage. If you already have that key and need to access a deceased person’s account, go to digital-legacy.apple.com
A Legacy Contact won’t be able to access any music, movies, or books that you’ve purchased, so keep that in mind. Naming a Legacy Contact also won’t allow that person to access Keychain, Apple’s password management system, so you can’t just follow these steps and think your family will be good to go because your entire online world is within the Apple ecosystem. Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy.
Need help thinking through all the steps you should take to prepare for your family in case you should be incapacitated or die? When you work with Compass Coordinators, there’s no intimidating legal-ese or insanely high hourly fee. We meet you where you are and make sure you’ve got a system that works for your unique situation. If you’d like to learn more, please contact us!
Compass Coordinators is your problem-solving partner here to help you navigate in uncharted waters. We’re not attorneys, financial professionals, or mental health professionals, although we partner with these experts when needed. Everything on this website is intended for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial or legal advice.
