Set Up Digital Access Before Your Heirs Need It

Your will cannot unlock your iPhone. Your estate attorney cannot access your Google Photos. Your executor cannot log into your iCloud without a special access key that only exists if you set it up in advance.

This is the gap most estate plans don't address — and it's fixable in under 10 minutes with tools Apple and Google already built for you.

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Apple: Legacy Contact

Apple's Legacy Contact feature allows you to designate one or more trusted people to access your iCloud account after your death. Here's what it covers:

• Photos, messages, notes, and files
• iCloud Drive documents
• App data (where supported)

What it does NOT give access to: Passwords stored in iCloud Keychain or payment information. Your Legacy Contact cannot make purchases or access your financial accounts through Apple.

How to set it up:

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Sign-In & Security
2. Select Legacy Contact
3. Choose a trusted person and send them the access key

Your designated Legacy Contact will need both the access key AND a death certificate to claim access. Print the access key and store it with your will or trust.

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Google: Inactive Account Manager

Google's Inactive Account Manager lets you specify what happens to your Google data after a period of inactivity — or after your death if a trusted contact notifies Google.

• Shares data across Gmail, Photos, Drive, YouTube, and other Google services
• You choose exactly what each contact can access (not everything needs to be shared with everyone)
• You set how long of inactivity triggers the process

How to set it up:

1. Go to myaccount.google.com
2. Navigate to Data & Privacy > Inactive Account Manager
3. Add trusted contacts and specify what they can access

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3 Steps to Tie This Into Your Estate Plan

Step 1: Set up both tools today Each takes under 10 minutes. Use the paths above. Do it now — this is one of those things that's very easy to do before it's needed and impossible to do after.

Step 2: Print the Apple Access Key with your will Store it with your legal documents. Your heir needs both the key and a death certificate to request access from Apple. Without the key, Apple cannot grant access regardless of the legal documentation you have.

Step 3: Match your digital and legal contacts Ideally, the person named as your Legacy Contact, Google trusted contact, executor, and/or POA should be the same person — or at minimum, should be coordinated. Conflicting instructions create delays and confusion.

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What These Tools Don't Cover

Neither Apple nor Google gives access to:

• Passwords or login credentials
• Payment accounts or financial information
• Social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, etc. have separate legacy policies)

Your executor will still need:

• Device passcodes (without them, iCloud backup is inaccessible)
• A written list of financial accounts
• Passwords stored in a password manager (consider a service like 1Password or LastPass with emergency access features)

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Want to Know More? Here's the Truth.

Digital estate planning is one of the fastest-growing gaps in modern estate plans. Most attorneys don't address it because it falls outside traditional legal documents — but the financial and emotional cost of inaccessible accounts is very real.

Scott Borhauer reviews the full picture of an estate plan — including digital assets, beneficiary designations, and how each piece connects to the others — as part of every estate planning conversation.

Not individualized legal advice. Consult a qualified estate attorney for your specific situation.