Who gets your iPhone data after you die?

A Legacy Contact is someone you choose to have access to your Apple account data after you die. Discover what information is shared with your Legacy Contact and how to add one or more Legacy Contacts.

About Legacy Contacts

You can add a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID starting with iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, and macOS 12.1. Adding a Legacy Contact is the simplest and safest way to give someone you trust access to your Apple account data after you pass away. Photos, messages, notes, files, programs you’ve downloaded, device backups, and other data may be included.

Your Legacy Contact cannot access some information, such as movies, music, books, or subscriptions purchased with your Apple ID, or data stored in your Keychain, such as payment information and passwords.

You can choose anyone as your Legacy Contact, and you can have multiple Legacy Contacts. They don’t even require an Apple ID or a device from Apple.

To file an access request after you pass away, they’ll just need:

• The access key that you generate when you choose them as your contact 
• Your death certificate

Apple examines Legacy Contacts’ requests and grants them access to your Apple account data only after verifying the information. When access is granted, your Legacy Contact is given a unique Apple ID to set up and use to log into your account. Your Apple ID and password will no longer operate, and Activation Lock will be disabled on all Apple ID-enabled devices.

Your Legacy Contact will have access to your data for three years after the first legacy account request is authorized, after which the account will be permanently terminated. If you have many Legacy Contacts, each of them has the authority to make decisions regarding your account data after your death, including permanently removing it.

What you need to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID

To add a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID, you need:

• An Apple device running iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, or macOS Monterey 12.1 that you’re signed in to with your Apple ID. 
• Two-factor authentication turned on for your Apple ID.
• To be over the age of 13. (This age varies by country and region.)

Your Legacy Contact can be anyone you want. They can be any age, and they don’t need to have an Apple ID or an Apple device. To request access to your Apple account, they need to be over the age of 13 (age varies by country and region).

Add a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID

In the Apple ID settings on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, you can add one or more Legacy Contacts. When a Legacy Contact is added or removed for your account, you’ll receive an email confirmation.

On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch:

1. Go to Settings, then tap your name.
2. Tap Password & Security, then tap Legacy Contact.
3. Tap Add Legacy Contact. You might be asked to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode.

On your Mac: 

1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Apple ID.
2. Click Password & Security, then click Legacy Contact. 
3. Click Add Legacy Contact. You might be asked to authenticate with Touch ID or your Mac login password. 

You can choose a group member if you’re in a Family Sharing group. You can also select someone from your Contacts by tapping or clicking their phone number or email address.

Share the access key with your Legacy Contact

The access key is crucial—in order to seek access after your death, your Legacy Contact must have both the access key and your death certificate. The access key will be required again to create a legacy contact Apple ID and gain access to your data.

1. If your Legacy Contact has an iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, or macOS Monterey 12.1 or later device, you can alert them via Messages when you add them, and if they approve, the access key is automatically stored in their Apple ID settings. If they deny your Legacy Contact request, you’ll be notified and given the option to choose someone else.
2. You can ask your Legacy Contact to update to iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, or macOS Monterey 12.1 if they are using an Apple device with older software. Then, using the Send a Message option, you can allow them to receive and save the access key to their device. You can also print the access key and deliver it to them.
3. You’ll need to offer someone a physical copy of the access key if they don’t have an Apple device or can’t access Legacy Contact settings on their device. You can give them a printout of the access key, send them a PDF or snapshot of the page, or save a copy with your estate planning documentation.
4. Note: If you provide the access key via Send a Message, double-check that your Legacy Contact has received it. You may want to print and save a copy of their access key with your estate planning documentation, regardless of how you share the access key.

If you don’t activate legacy contacts on your Apple device, Apple will store your data and won’t provide it to anyone when you die.