Setting up a legacy contact on your iPhone is a digital step towards your overall estate planning strategy. As more aspects of our lives move online, it’s essential to consider what happens to our digital assets when we die. Apple now allows users to nominate a ‘Legacy Contact’—a trusted person who can access your iCloud data after your death. This is a practical and simple step you can take to complement your more routine estate planning, such as your Will and lasting powers of attorney.
What is a Legacy Contact?
A Legacy Contact is someone whom you choose to have access to your Apple account after your death. This includes access to your photos, notes, mail, contacts, calendars, and backups. It does not include access to your Keychain (passwords), licensed media (like music or movies), or any third-party app content that’s not stored in iCloud.
Why It Matters
From an estate planning perspective, digital assets often go overlooked. Setting up a Legacy Contact ensures that your loved ones can access important memories and information stored in your Apple account without legal hurdles.
How to Set It Up
Setting up a Legacy Contact on your iPhone is straightforward if you’re running iOS 15.2 or later. Here’s how:
- Open ‘Settings’
- Tap on your Apple ID banner at the top.
- Select ‘Password & Security’.
- Tap ‘Legacy Contact’.
- Tap ‘Add Legacy Contact’ and follow the prompts.
You’ll be asked to verify your identity and then choose a contact from your list. Apple recommends sharing the access key with your contact immediately—this can be sent digitally or printed for safekeeping.
What Will Your Legacy Contact Need?
To access your account, your Legacy Contact will need:
- The access key that you provided.
- A copy of your death certificate.
They can then request access via Apple’s Digital Legacy service.
A Word from Chiltern Wills LLP
Setting up a Legacy Contact is a useful way to make sure your digital memories and important information are accessible to your family after death. However, it’s not a substitute for a will or a comprehensive digital estate plan. We encourage clients to include digital assets as part of their overall estate planning strategy.
Contact us today for a free initial conversation about how we can help you to safeguard every aspect of your legacy.
