No one likes to think about death. Of course. But do spend a few minutes thinking about adding a legacy contact to your Apple ID. Or helping your again relatives add legacy contacts to their Apple ID. It’s important.

Follow the headline link for all the details but in a nutshell:

Starting in iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, and macOS 12.1, Apple users can add a Legacy Contact for their Apple ID. Adding a Legacy Contact is the easiest, most secure way to give someone they trust access to the data they stored in their Apple account after they pass away. This data may include photos, messages, notes, files, apps they downloaded, device backups, and more.

And, very importantly:

Certain information, like movies, music, books, or subscriptions they purchased with their Apple ID, and data stored in their Keychain, like payment information and passwords, can’t be accessed by a Legacy Contact.

To add a Legacy Contact on your iPhone:

• In Settings, tap your name
• Now tap Password & Security > Legacy Contact
• Tap Add Legacy Contact

You’ll get an access key, which you’ll share with your Legacy Contact. The choosing of your contact and the sharing of the access key is all part of the process. Apple makes this very easy.

To access your account, your LC will need that access key, along with a death certificate. Meaning, they won’t be able to access your account while you are still alive.

Here’s a link to the page that lets you request access to a deceased friend or family member’s account.