How to Get Into a Loved One’s iPhone and Apple Account After They Die

Setting up a Legacy Contact

You need an Apple device on iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 or macOS Monterey 12.1 or later. On iPhone, go to Settings → your name → Sign-In & Security → Legacy Contact and add someone. They don’t need an iPhone or an Apple Account of their own.

Apple then creates an access key. Send it by iMessage (it’s saved in their settings) or print it and keep it with your will or estate papers. Apple can’t replace a lost key. You can add more than one Legacy Contact, and any one of them can make decisions about your data, including deleting it.

What they get, and what they don’t

• Included: photos, messages, notes, files, device backups and more.
• Not included: passwords and passkeys in iCloud Keychain, payment details, and films, music, books or subscriptions bought with the account.
• Access lasts three years from when Apple approves the first request. After that, the account is permanently deleted.

After a death

The Legacy Contact requests access from Apple’s Digital Legacy website or their own Apple device, with the access key and a copy of the death certificate. Apple reviews each request and emails when it’s done.

Without a Legacy Contact, the family has to use Apple’s other process for a deceased family member’s account, which can require a court order. It’s far harder, so it’s worth setting up now.

The phone itself

A Legacy Contact gets the account data, not the phone’s passcode. Leave your passcode somewhere safe your family can find, written by hand, never typed into a website or app. And don’t let anyone wipe or reset the phone after a death: it may be the only way to get sign-in codes for other accounts.