Everyone is going to die, eventually. We all prepare for death differently and the preparations start at different points in our life. Some people start preparing for death after a near-death experience while others wait until until they’re older. Of the many things we have to take care of in this regard, our digital identity is something new.
iOS 15 Legacy Contacts
Technology has moved a lot of things online and in to a soft form. Important information is sent to online accounts, to inboxes, or cloud drives all of which are locked behind a username and a password. An Apple ID is one of the most commonly used forms of authentication. A single Apple ID unlocks access to lots of information which is why, if someone were to pass away, it may be needed to set their affairs in order.
iOS 15 has a feature called Legacy Contacts which allows you to select trusted contacts that will be able to gain access to your Apple ID after you’ve passed away.
Create iOS 15 Legacy Contacts
Legacy Contacts were rolled out in iOS 15.2 so make sure you’ve updated your device to the latest iOS version before you try to create a legacy contact. Once the phone has been updated, follow the steps below to create a legacy contact.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap your Apple ID at the top.
- Select Password & Security>Legacy Contact.
- Tap Add Legacy Contact.
- Select a contact from your contacts.
- Select how you want to share your access key (you can print it out and include it with any hard copy document like a Will or send a message).
- Once the access key has been shared, it will be saved to the legacy contact’s settings.
Remove legacy contact on iOS 15
You can remove a legacy contact any time (before your death). To remove it, follow these steps.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap your Apple ID at the top.
- Go to Password & Security>Legacy Contact.
- Select the contact you want to remove.
- Tap Remove contact.
- Confirm you want to remove the contact.
Conclusion
Apple isn’t the first tech company to come up with the idea of legacy contacts. Facebook has a similar feature that allows your account to be memorialized. It’s the eventual end that comes when so much of our identities move online. Unlike Facebook’s legacy contact feature, Apple still gives its users an option to share a hard copy of the access key. If you print out a hard copy, you can keep it with other important documents that will be shared with your family when you’re gone.
