Your smartphone may contain years of memories, personal photographs, important documents, messages and other valuable digital information. But what happens to all of this data when the owner dies?
For iPhone users, Apple's strong security features such as passcodes and Face ID mean that family members cannot simply unlock the device or access the account after someone's death.
To address this issue, Apple offers a feature called Legacy Contact, which allows users to nominate a trusted person who can request access to certain Apple Account data after their death.
What is Apple's Legacy Contact feature?
A Legacy Contact is a person you choose in advance to access certain information associated with your Apple Account after you die.
The feature is available on compatible versions of iOS, iPadOS and macOS. Users can select a trusted family member or friend as their Legacy Contact while they are alive.
However, simply being added as a Legacy Contact does not give that person immediate access to the account.
Apple provides a unique Access Key as part of the setup process. The nominated person may need this key, along with Apple's required documentation, when requesting access after the user's death.
What information can the Legacy Contact access?
A Legacy Contact may be able to access certain data stored in the deceased user's Apple Account.
However, access is not unlimited. Some categories of information remain unavailable, including passwords and certain types of purchased or subscription-based content.
This is important because a Legacy Contact should not be confused with someone receiving the iPhone's passcode or being given unrestricted access to the entire Apple Account.
Instead, the feature creates a formal process for handling eligible digital information after someone's death.
How to add a Legacy Contact on iPhone or iPad
If you want to set up a Legacy Contact in advance, you can do so through your Apple Account settings.
Follow these steps:
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Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
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Tap your name or Apple Account at the top.
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Go to Sign-In & Security.
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Select Legacy Contact.
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Tap Add Legacy Contact.
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Authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode.
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Select the trusted person you want to nominate.
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Follow the instructions to complete the setup and obtain the Access Key.
Keep the Access Key somewhere safe. Your chosen Legacy Contact may need it later as part of Apple's verification process.
How to add a Legacy Contact on Mac
Mac users can also set up the feature.
Open the Apple menu and go to System Settings. Select your Apple Account and then open Sign-In & Security.
Look for Legacy Contact and select Add Legacy Contact. Choose the person you trust and complete the identity verification process using Touch ID or another available security method.
Does the Legacy Contact get access immediately?
No.
This is one of the most important things to understand about the feature.
Adding someone as a Legacy Contact does not allow them to view your Apple Account, photographs or other eligible data while you are alive.
After your death, the nominated person must follow Apple's process and provide the required documentation. This can include proof of death and the Access Key.
Only after Apple verifies the request can eligible data be provided.
What about the iPhone's passcode?
Being someone's Legacy Contact does not automatically give them the iPhone's passcode.
The feature is primarily designed to provide a controlled way of requesting access to eligible Apple Account data after death. It is therefore different from simply knowing the device passcode or having access to the physical iPhone.
Why should iPhone users set it up?
Our digital lives now contain information that can be just as valuable as physical belongings. Family photographs, important files and years of memories may all be stored online.
Setting up a Legacy Contact in advance can give your family or another trusted person a clear process for handling eligible digital information if something happens to you.
It also ensures that the decision about who should handle your digital legacy is made by you rather than being left entirely to others later.
The bottom line
Your iPhone doesn't simply become an open book for your family after your death. Apple's security protections remain in place, but the Legacy Contact feature provides a formal route for a trusted person to request access to certain eligible Apple Account data.
If you use an iPhone or other Apple devices to store important memories and information, setting up a Legacy Contact can be a useful part of your digital estate planning.
