One Tech Tip: How to Prepare Your Online Accounts for When You Die

LONDON (AP) — Most people have amassed a ton of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — in their social media and digital accounts during their lifetime. What happens to it when we die?

It’s smart to make a will that specifies who will inherit your physical assets after you die, but don’t forget to take care of your digital assets as well. Friends and family may treasure the files and posts you leave behind, but they can get lost in digital purgatory after you die if you don’t take a few simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for survivors:

Apple

The iPhone manufacturer allows you to designate a “legacy contact” who will have access to your Apple Account data after your death. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up, you’ll need an Apple device with a relatively recent operating system — iPhones and iPads require iOS or iPadOS 15.2, and MacBooks require macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhone, go to Settings, tap Sign-in & Security, then tap Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You must share the access key with your contact. This can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to transfer, including digitally-protected music, movies, and passwords stored in Apple’s Password Manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with Inactive Account Manager, which lets you share your data with someone if they notice you’ve stopped using your account.

During setup, you’ll need to decide how long Google should wait—from three to 18 months—before considering your account inactive. When this time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message letting them know you’ve stopped using the account and optionally include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they have access to, including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also the option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will need to upload any data before that time.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms may retain the accounts of people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memory.

When Facebook or Instagram users die, Meta’s parent company says it can save the account if it receives a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Applications can be submitted through the online form.

The social media company strongly encourages Facebook users to add an old contact to take care of their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or delete or edit previous posts. You can only select one person who must also have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you are a close family member or executor. You will need to send documents such as a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can request to immortalize the account through the settings menu. Go to Report a problem, then Account & Profile, then Manage Account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once the account is enabled, it will be marked as “Mentioned”. No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It is impossible to assign an old contact on Elon Musk’s website in social networks. But family members or an authorized person can request to deactivate the deceased user’s account.

Passwords

In addition to your primary online services, you likely have dozens, if not hundreds, of other digital accounts that your victims may need access to. You can simply write down all your login credentials in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But creating a physical copy has its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? And if someone finds?

Instead, consider a password manager with an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that can be used to store all of your credentials. Some, like Keeper, Bitwarden, and NordPass, allow users to designate one or more trusted contacts who have access to their keys in the event of an emergency, such as death.

But there are a few caveats: these contacts must also use the same password manager, and you may have to pay for the service.

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