How to Set Up an Apple Legacy Contact (Step-by-Step Guide)

Apple introduced the Legacy Contact feature in iOS 15.2, giving iPhone, iPad, and Mac users a straightforward way to designate someone who can access their Apple account data after they die. It's one of the better-designed death planning features from any major tech company — but fewer than 10% of Apple users have set it up.

Here's exactly how it works, how to set it up, and what your Legacy Contact can and cannot access.

What Is an Apple Legacy Contact?

A Legacy Contact is someone you choose who can access your Apple account and personal information after your death. When activated, your Legacy Contact gets a special "digital legacy" account that provides access to most of your Apple data for a limited time.

This is Apple's answer to the question every family dreads: "How do we get into Mom's phone to find her photos?"

How to Set Up a Legacy Contact

On iPhone or iPad (iOS 15.2 or later)

1. Open Settings 2. Tap your name at the top (your Apple ID) 3. Tap Sign-In & Security 4. Tap Legacy Contact 5. Tap Add Legacy Contact 6. Choose someone from your contacts, or add someone manually 7. Apple will generate an access key — this is critical 8. Share the access key with your Legacy Contact via: - AirDrop (if they're nearby) - Message (sends through iMessage) - Print a physical copy

On Mac (macOS Ventura or later)

1. Open System Settings 2. Click your name (Apple ID) 3. Click Sign-In & Security 4. Click Legacy Contact 5. Click the + button to add a contact 6. Follow the prompts to generate and share the access key

Key Setup Details

• You can add **multiple Legacy Contacts** — there's no limit
• Legacy Contacts **must be over 13 years old**
• They **do not need an Apple device** to be designated, but they'll need one to access the data
• The person you designate is notified and must accept the role

The Access Key: Don't Lose It

The access key is a unique code generated during setup. Your Legacy Contact needs this key — along with a death certificate — to request access to your account. Without the access key, they cannot access your data through the Legacy Contact program.

Store the access key securely. Options include:

• Your Legacy Contact saves it on their own Apple device (it's stored in their Settings automatically if they have an Apple device)
• Print a physical copy and store it with important documents
• Save it in your digital estate plan using a tool like Passed Plan
• Screenshot it and store it in a secure location

If you lose the access key, you can remove the Legacy Contact and re-add them to generate a new key.

How Your Legacy Contact Requests Access

When you die, your Legacy Contact follows these steps:

1. Go to digital-legacy.apple.com 2. Enter the access key 3. Upload a death certificate 4. Apple verifies the request (typically within a few days) 5. Once approved, Apple creates a Legacy Contact account with access to your data

What Your Legacy Contact Can Access

Once approved, your Legacy Contact can access most data stored in your Apple account:

• **iCloud Photos** — All photos and videos
• **Notes** — All notes stored in iCloud
• **Mail** — iCloud email messages
• **Contacts** — Your contact list
• **Calendars** — Calendar events
• **Reminders** — All reminders
• **Messages** — iMessages and SMS stored in iCloud (if Messages in iCloud was enabled)
• **Call history** — Recent call logs
• **Files** — iCloud Drive documents
• **Health data** — Health app data stored in iCloud
• **Voice Memos** — All recordings
• **Safari bookmarks and reading list**

What Your Legacy Contact CANNOT Access

Some data is explicitly excluded:

• **Keychain passwords** — Your saved passwords and login credentials are not accessible. This is a security measure, but it means your Legacy Contact can't use your Apple account to reset passwords on other services
• **Licensed media** — Movies, music, books, and apps you purchased are tied to your Apple ID and are not transferable. Apple's terms of service do not allow transfer of purchased content
• **Payment information** — Apple Pay cards, subscriptions, and payment methods
• **Apple ID itself** — Your Legacy Contact gets a separate legacy account; they don't log into your Apple ID directly

The Time Limits

Apple's Legacy Contact access has strict time limits:

• **Access is available for 3 years** from the date of death
• Your Legacy Contact should download anything they want to keep well before the 3-year window closes
• After 3 years, the account and all its data are permanently deleted
• **The legacy account itself expires after 3 years** — any data not downloaded is gone

Given these limits, your Legacy Contact should prioritize downloading photos, documents, and any other irreplaceable data as soon as they gain access.

What If There's No Legacy Contact Set Up?

If someone dies without having set up a Legacy Contact, accessing their Apple account is significantly harder. The options are:

Court Order Apple will process a court order specifically directing them to provide access to the deceased person's Apple account. The court order must:

• Identify the deceased person
• Identify the Apple ID or device
• Specify that the requesting party is the legal representative of the estate
• Direct Apple to provide assistance in accessing the account

This process can take months and involves both legal fees and Apple's legal review process.

Device Access Without Apple ID If you can unlock the deceased person's device (you know the passcode), you can access data stored locally on the device — but not data stored only in iCloud. You also won't be able to turn off Find My, disable Activation Lock, or reset the device without the Apple ID password.

Apple Support Contact Apple Support at **1-800-275-2273** to discuss options for a deceased person's account. Apple's support team can guide you through available processes, though their options are limited without a Legacy Contact or court order.

Legacy Contact vs. Passed Plan

Apple's Legacy Contact is excellent for Apple-specific data, but it has limitations:

• It only covers Apple data — not your bank accounts, crypto, subscriptions, or non-Apple services
• It doesn't include passwords, so your contact can't use your Apple account as a jumping-off point for other services
• The 3-year limit means data could be lost if your contact doesn't act quickly enough

A comprehensive digital estate plan using Passed Plan covers all your accounts and assets — including the information your Apple Legacy Contact won't have access to, like passwords, crypto seed phrases, and financial account details. Use both tools together: Apple Legacy Contact for your Apple data, and Passed Plan for everything else.

Set It Up Today

Setting up a Legacy Contact takes less than five minutes. It's one of the highest-impact, lowest-effort things you can do for your family's peace of mind. Open Settings on your iPhone right now, and add a Legacy Contact before you forget.

Then take it a step further: document your complete digital estate with Passed Plan so your family has access to everything, not just your Apple data.