Long live our digital legacy! Have you ever wondered what will happen to the hundreds (or thousands) of memorable photos, sensitive files, and personal notes on your Apple device after you are gone? If that thought has crossed your mind and you are looking for a secure way to keep your legacy alive even after your death, Apple Digital Legacy in iOS 15 is here for you. Read on to learn what is Apple Digital Legacy and how to add a legacy contact on your iPhone.
Before going through the steps to enable the feature, let’s first understand what exactly is Apple Digital Legacy and how it works!
- What is Apple Digital Legacy and How Does It Work?
- What Data Can Legacy Contacts Access on Your iPhone?
- How Will Legacy Contacts Access Your Data After You Are Gone?
- How to Add a Legacy Contact in iOS 15
- How to Manage Legacy Contacts on iPhone and iPad
- Check Your Legacy Contacts in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15
- View Access Key of Your Apple Digital Legacy Contacts
- Remove a Legacy Contact on iPhone and iPad
- Request Access to a Deceased Family Member’s Account Data
What is Apple Digital Legacy and How Does It Work?
Apple Digital Legacy ensures your fond memories, including photos and videos, as well as important files remain intact even after you are gone. The program lets you securely pass down your information to trusted friends or family members. Apple is now allowing you to add “Legacy contacts” to your iCloud account so that your family members or friends can request access to your information upon your passing.
Once you have added your friend/ family member as your legacy contact, that person will have access to data stored in your account after your death. Here’s everything your digital legacy data will include:
- Messages
- Photos
- Notes
- Contacts
- Calendar events
- Apps you have purchases
- Your device backup
Bear in mind that your trusted contact won’t be able to access your iCloud Keychain or any licensed media.
When adding a legacy contact to your account, Apple generates an Access Key which you need to share with them. After you are gone, your trusted contact will have to provide a copy of your death certificate and the Access Key to gain access to your data.
Adding a legacy contact to an iCloud account in iOS 15 is simple. You can get it done right from the Apple ID section, so follow the steps below:
- Now, select a preferred contact and tap on Continue.
Managing legacy contacts on iPhone and iPad is just as straightforward. So, you can check out the trusted contacts and keep a tab on the access key. And yes, if you ever decide to remove someone from your trusted contacts list, you can do it as well without breaking any sweat.
- Head over to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, and tap on your profile.
- Next, scroll down and choose “Legacy contact“.
- Navigate to Settings -> your profile -> Password & Security -> Legacy Contact.
- Now, select a legacy contact.
If you ever wish to prevent a contact from having access to your Access Key, you can do so with utmost ease. Just follow the steps below to remove a legacy contact from your Apple account.
- Head over to Settings -> profile -> Password & Security -> Legacy contact.
Request Access to a Deceased Family Member’s Account Data
Though there is less clarity about how a legacy contact can request a deceased family member’s account data, I guess the option would be available in the Apple ID settings on iPhone and iPad. So, if you are a trusted contact of your friend or family member, you can request their account data from there. Additionally, there will also be a way to request the account data from iCloud’s web app, as shown in the screenshot below.
