Apple introduced in the last update of iOS 15 a new feature to designate a legatee contact who will be authorized to recover your data after your death. Here’s how to set it up.
Death – and now all the administrative procedures it entails – are generally among the subjects that we want to avoid. Unfortunately, no one escapes it and the relatives of a deceased often find themselves in embarrassment when it comes to knowing what to do with their digital data scattered here and there on the Web.
It is not uncommon, either, to see families who wish to access the content of the smartphone of their missing loved one, in particular to retrieve memories such as photos and videos. There are many descendants who want to have access to the usernames and connection passwords of a deceased relative, to access the many accounts to be closed or in which to retrieve personal data, on online services.
Unfortunately, if the legitimate owner of the device did not take any precaution during his lifetime in this direction, all the personal data contained in his device, generally saved in the Cloud, is lost forever. The family may try to ask the manufacturer for help to recover, it will undoubtedly refuse to accede to their request, confidentiality requires.
To avoid this kind of situation, Apple has just inaugurated in iOS 15.2 a function to designate a legate contact, understand, a trusted person who will be able to access the data contained in your device after your death. Here’s how to set it up.
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1. Access your username settings
Open the iOS Settings, enter the menu dedicated to your Apple ID and then go to the Password and security menu.
2. Add a legatee contact
Now enter the Legacy contact menu and press the + Add legacy contact button.
When the setup wizard opens, tap Add legacy contact. Your iPhone should ask you to identify yourself, using your unlock code or through Face ID.
Depending on what your iPhone knows about you, it might suggest a legacy contact by default that it considers to be trusted. It can be a spouse, parent, etc. If you are satisfied with this suggestion, select it and press Next. Otherwise press Choose another person and select them from your address book which should then open.
3. Share your access key with your legatee contact
The legacy contact setup wizard now tells you that the chosen contact will be able to access your digital inheritance. Tap Continue.
To secure access to your Digital Legacy, Apple generates an access key that you must share with your contact. You can send it to him by Message (only if he has an Apple device), or Print it directly on paper.
If you opt for sharing by Message, in the next window, personalize the message by pressing Edit message and confirm sending it to your contact by pressing the Send button.
By sharing it in this way, this key will be automatically added in the Settings of his Apple account on his iPhone.
Your legatee contact is now added. For security reasons, Apple may ask your legatee contact for your birthday when they try to access your data.
To make sure you’ve entered your anniversary date correctly, tap Update anniversary date and correct it if necessary.
If your legacy contact has an Apple device and you have chosen to share the key with them by Message, they should normally have received your letter stating that you have chosen them as the legacy contact and shouldn’t have to worry about saving. the key.
Provided their iPhone is also running iOS 15.2, it should automatically be saved in Settings> Apple ID> Password & Security> Legate contact> Legate contact of.
4. Access your digital heritage
After your death, your legatee contact must go to the page https://digital-legacy.apple.com to access the data on your device.
He will then be asked to enter the key that you have shared with him to obtain access to your digital inheritance data. Please note, however, that Apple also requires your legatee contact to provide a copy of your death certificate to access your data.