Apple facilitates in IOS 15.2 update Access to personal data for the deceased By adding the Legacy Contact feature, or what is known as the digital legacy, where a contact is assigned to a close person that we will agree to call the “Digital Legacy” and then this person gets a special code that can be sent to Apple with a death certificate to unlock the device, and control it. Follow the article for more details.


The contact that is assigned will have access to messages, photos, notes and other sensitive data, as well as the ability to remove Activation Lock from devices, which is a two-person partnership feature so it should be reserved for the most trusted contact. In this article, we will tell you how to enable contacts who can access data after death, and what exactly can be accessed.

How to add a digital legacy contact

Adding a digital legacy contact only takes a few steps, but both people involved in the process need to update iOS 15.2 or later, and then do the following:

◉ Enter the settings.

◉ Then click on the profile picture to access the Apple ID settings.

◉ Then click on Password and Security.

◉ Then click on Legacy Contact or Digital Legacy.

◉ Then click on Add Contact for Digital Legacy.

◉ On the pop-up describing the feature, tap Add Contact.

◉ Then authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a password.

Apple will suggest family members if Family Sharing is enabled, then tap on a family member's name or tap Choose Other to choose from a list of contacts.

◉ Once the person is selected, click Next.

◉ On the screen describing how Legacy Contact works, click Continue.

◉ Choose how the inheritor's access key is shared, and they can send an iMessage to a contact using their key, or they can print a copy of it.

◉ Once a message is sent or the heir contact information is printed, the person is officially designated as the person who can request the deceased person's data.

◉ The process is repeated if he wants to assign another contact, and he can have multiple contacts.


Contact's digital access key

For security purposes, Apple reviews all requests from inherited contacts before providing access to the deceased's data. The inherited contact will need to have access to the deceased's date of birth, death certificate and the access key set up.

The access key is printed or sent in an iMessage, and must be kept in a safe place by the person designated as the inheriting contact. Apple provides an extra-long, multi-digit key consisting of a combination of letters and numbers and an easy-to-scan QR code. It also provides the following information for the deceased's contact information.

As an inheriting contact for "X", you will be able to access data from that "X" account and remove the activation lock on their devices after their death.

Because the date of birth is used as an authentication procedure, the deceased's date of birth must be precisely set in the device setting, and they can confirm it is set by opening Settings, clicking on the profile picture, selecting “Name, phone numbers, email” and adding or updating it by clicking on Birthday list.


How can the inherited contact obtain the data of the deceased

In the event of death, the inherited contact will need the access key that was provided when they were designated as the contact as well as a copy of the deceased's death certificate.

Apple directs the inherited contact to visit the site digital-legacy.apple.com to start the authentication process. This contact will need to sign in with an Apple ID and provide the necessary information to Apple.

In order to access the data of the deceased, an access key is necessary. If an access key is not available, the deceased's family can still remove the activation lock from their devices, but the account and data must first be removed and the process requires a death certificate.

There is a waiting time for approval through Apple's Digital Legacy process, and status updates are available at Digital legacy.


The data available for your inherited contact

The inherited contact will be able to access the following data on the deceased's devices.

◉ pictures.

◉ Messages

◉ notes

◉ files

◉ Downloaded apps and their associated data.

◉ Contacts

◉ Calendar events

◉ Backup devices

◉ Logins and passwords for iCloud Keychain, or any licensed media, will not be provided.

According to Apple, the heir can view the deceased's data on iCloud.com, or download a copy from privacy.apple.com, and the data can also be viewed directly on the Apple device.


How to remove inheritor contact

The set inheritor contact can be removed at any time, invalidating access to the data, here's how:

◉ Through the settings.

◉ Tap on the profile picture to access the ‌Apple ID‌ settings.

◉ Click on Password and Security.

◉ Click on Legacy Contact or Digital Legacy.

◉ Click on the name of the person whose access we want to remove.

◉ Remove contact is selected.

◉ In the pop-up warning that the person will not be able to access the data after death, remove the contact is selected.

The person will be removed and the access key they were provided with will no longer work to access the data after death.

What do you think of the digital legacy feature and do you think it is important? Does it make you think in a pessimistic way, or is it an inevitable reality that we must prepare for? Tell us in the comments.

Source:

macrumors

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