Recover Deceased Person’s Apple Account
A Difficult Time Made Worse
Losing a loved one is typically a difficult and tumultuous experience. In a world where our digital belongings and identity are often an integral part of our lives, recovering a person’s digital identity is often one of the most challenging aspects of this season of loss. These digital assets can include treasured photos and memories; personal accounts and documents; and even banking and even crucial financial accounts and access control.
Apple devices and accounts are notoriously security and privacy-centric. There have been several cases where Apple has refused access to personal devices without explicit owner consent. One famous case was a request by the FBI to unlock a device belonging to a suspected terrorist.
In some cases, you may be privy to your loved one’s password or at least the few pieces of data they typically use to create these passwords. However, if you don’t have this information, how can you go about recovering their information?
In cases where the device includes crucial data and password is not easily accessible or you reach the limit on attempts before the device is wiped clean, the stakes increase dramatically.
The Good News: There’s a Solution
When it comes to recovering access to a loved one’s iPhone, iPad, Mac or iCloud account, Apple provides an official channel for such recovery. Unfortunately it’s not a simple solution, but the complexity is the trade-off for the security and privacy Apple touts.
You must get a court order specifying the following:
The name and Apple ID of the deceased person.
The name of the next of kin who is requesting access to the decedent’s account.
That the decedent was the user of all accounts associated with the Apple ID.
That the requestor is the decedent’s legal personal representative, agent, or heir, whose authorization constitutes "lawful consent.”
That Apple is ordered by the court to assist in the provision of access to the decedent’s information from the deceased person's accounts.
Once you have this court order, or if you have further questions for Apple, contact Apple Support here.
