Estate Planning and Legacy Contacts: Preparing for Your Digital Assets

One area of estate planning that gets overlooked is one’s digital assets. One way to prepare is by assigning a Legacy Contact—a trusted person who can access your phone or account data after you pass away.

Here’s why Legacy Contacts are important:

Setting up a Legacy Contact is like creating a digital will for your most precious memories and information. Here’s why it’s crucial:

• Preserve memories: Your photos, videos, and notes hold irreplaceable memories for your loved ones. A Legacy Contact ensures these treasures are passed on, allowing family and friends to cherish them even after you’re gone.
• Critical information access: Your loved ones may need access to your digital life for practical reasons, such as managing finances, finding essential documents, or closing accounts. A Legacy Contact makes this process smoother during a difficult time.
• Prevent account lockout: Without a Legacy Contact, your loved ones may face difficulties accessing or managing your accounts, potentially losing valuable data. The phone manufacturer may require a court order to access the data.
• Peace of mind: Knowing your digital legacy is in safe hands provides you and your loved one’s peace of mind. It ensures your wishes are respected, and your digital assets are handled responsibly.

In essence, setting up a Legacy Contact is a responsible way to safeguard your digital legacy and ensure your loved ones have the resources they need when they need it most.

How it works:

• You choose someone you trust as your Legacy Contact.
• Your phone manufacturer provides a unique access key to share with your Legacy Contact.
• If you pass away, your Legacy Contact can request access to your account using that key and a copy of your death certificate.

Once the phone manufacturer approves, your Legacy Contact can access your data, download it, and even remove the Activation Lock from your devices.

iPhone

Setting up Legacy Contacts on your iPhone provides loved ones access to your Apple account. To do this:

• Go to Settings, then tap your name.
• Tap Sign-In & Security, then tap Legacy Contact.
• Tap Add Legacy Contact. You might be asked to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode.
• You can choose someone from your Family Sharing group or add any contact. Once selected, you can digitally share an access key with them or print a copy. This key will be necessary for them to access your data.

Android

This feature might be called “Legacy Contact” or something similar on an Android phone, like “Inactive Account Manager.” Generally, you’ll start by opening the Settings app.

• Look for Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls and tap on it.
• Find the Legacy Contact option, tap Add Legacy Contact, choose the desired contact, and grant them access to the data you want to share (photos, contacts, etc.).
• Remember to inform your chosen contact about their role and how to access your information if needed.

It’s important to note that the specific steps might vary slightly depending on your phone’s manufacturer and Android version. If you need help finding the Legacy Contact setting, consult your phone’s user manual or search online for instructions specific to your device model. We also recommend storing a copy of the digital key with your estate documents.

If you’d like to explore this topic further, we recommend checking out these resources:

• Apple Support^[1]: Visit the Apple Support website and search for “Legacy Contact” for detailed instructions and FAQs.
• Android Help^[2]: Look for information on “Legacy Contact” or “Inactive Account Manager” within your Android phone’s settings or on the manufacturer’s support website.
• Online articles: Search for articles on “digital legacy planning” or “managing digital assets after death” to find expert advice and resources.