Apple Legacy Contact: prepare the family handoff
Set up Apple Legacy Contact using official guidance, check the access-key handoff and create a free printable note without storing your key.
Last reviewed . Rules change — check with the provider before you rely on this guide.
What an Apple Legacy Contact can do #
Apple Legacy Contact provides a route to certain account data after death. It does not include iCloud Keychain passwords, passkeys or payment information, or purchased movies, music, books and subscriptions.
Make an Apple Legacy Contact handoff note
Use this to organize the conversation around your Apple setup. It does not add a Legacy Contact, store an access key or verify Apple settings. Never paste an access key or device passcode here.
Use locations and contact roles rather than passwords, recovery keys, full account numbers or identity numbers.
See a fictional example
Fictional example: “We discussed which family memories matter. My contact knows where the protected Apple instructions are kept. We still need to check that the copy they hold is current.”
0 prompts have an entry. Blank prompts become writing space in your copy; this is not a readiness score.
Printing opens your browser’s dialog. Choose “Save as PDF” or a printer; canceling the dialog does not save a copy.
Your entries stay in this page’s memory. They are not sent to WiseTomorrow. Reloading or navigating away can clear them. Save a draft before leaving; this tool does not automatically store your entries.
A downloaded draft is an unencrypted file on your device. Keep it in protected storage. It includes entries in sections you have chosen not to print.
Save an editable draft whenever you want to keep your work.
Make an Apple Legacy Contact handoff note
Prepared / reviewed: ____________________
Discuss the role
Chosen contact and conversation date
Chosen contact and conversation date: ________________________________________________
What would you like them to understand?
What would you like them to understand?: ________________________________________________
Questions to check in Apple’s guidance
Questions to check in Apple’s guidance: ________________________________________________
Check the handoff
What did you verify in your own settings?
What did you verify in your own settings?: ________________________________________________
Where are the protected instructions?
Where are the protected instructions?: ________________________________________________
What has your contact confirmed?
What has your contact confirmed?: ________________________________________________
Agree the next check
What is still unclear?
What is still unclear?: ________________________________________________
Who will check it, and when?
Who will check it, and when?: ________________________________________________
Where will the current copy live?
Where will the current copy live?: ________________________________________________
This is an organizing aid, not legal authority or permission to use another person’s accounts. Keep secrets out of this copy and share only the information each person needs.
Prepared with WiseTomorrow · wisetomorrow.com/guides/apple-legacy-contact
Set it up with Apple, then check the handoff #
On a supported iPhone or iPad, begin in Settings, your name, Sign-In & Security, then Legacy Contact. Mac uses the corresponding System Settings route. Follow Apple’s current instructions for requirements and adding the person. The contact does not need an Apple device. If you share the key through Messages, confirm receipt; Apple also provides a printed-copy option.
Keep the key separate from your planning note #
The contact needs the access key and death documentation for a request; requirements can vary by region. Keep the key protected and findable by that person. This worksheet records the handoff, not the key. Adding multiple contacts is a significant choice: Apple says any one can make decisions about the data, including deletion.
Account data and a locked device are different questions #
Apple’s deceased-account guidance distinguishes account requests from reusing a device. A passcode lock cannot be removed by Apple without erasing the device. Use the official support route and establish what information is needed before taking an irreversible step.
Source: Apple: Request access to a deceased family member’s account
Finish the conversation, not just the setting #
Ask your chosen person to explain where they would start. Record what you discussed, what they actually confirmed and what remains unresolved. You can review the instructions together without making a real access request. Keep a separate plan for household information outside your Apple account.
WiseTomorrow is a technology service for organizing and sharing information. It does not provide legal, tax, financial or estate-planning advice, does not replace a will, trust, power of attorney, beneficiary designation or advance directive, and does not verify that stored documents are valid. Consult a licensed professional for advice about your situation. Read the full legal disclaimer.
Sources and editorial notes
Prepared by WiseTomorrow, the maker of Wise Box. These resources help organize information; they are not an independent product review. No specialist review is claimed. How these resources are prepared.
- Apple: Add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account · Source checked 2026-10-04
- Apple: Request access to a deceased family member’s account · Source checked 2026-10-04
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