What happens to your Apple account when you die?
Apple locks a deceased person’s account by default. Even with a will, the family often can’t get in unless a Legacy Contact was set up first.
Set this up now: Legacy Contact
Add one or more Legacy Contacts in your Apple Account settings. Each gets an access key. After you die, they use that key plus your death certificate to reach the data you stored. Apple calls it the easiest, most secure way to give someone you trust access to that data.
If nothing is set up
Your family has to apply with a death certificate and a court order that specifically directs Apple to grant access. Apple decides from there, and devices can stay locked.
In Canada, federal privacy law (PIPEDA, s. 7(3)(h)(ii)) can keep a provider from releasing a person’s data for up to twenty years after death. That’s exactly why setting a platform’s own legacy tool up in advance matters: it’s the difference between your family reaching what you left them and a decades-long lock.
Put this in a plan
List your accounts, decide what should happen to each, and keep it somewhere your family can actually reach. Free, and it stays in your browser until you choose to save it.
Common questions
What happens to a Apple account when someone dies?
Apple locks a deceased person’s account by default. Even with a will, the family often can’t get in unless a Legacy Contact was set up first. Your family has to apply with a death certificate and a court order that specifically directs Apple to grant access. Apple decides from there, and devices can stay locked.
How do I set up Legacy Contact for my Apple account?
Add one or more Legacy Contacts in your Apple Account settings. Each gets an access key. After you die, they use that key plus your death certificate to reach the data you stored. Apple calls it the easiest, most secure way to give someone you trust access to that data.
Can my family get into my Apple account after I die in Canada?
Your family has to apply with a death certificate and a court order that specifically directs Apple to grant access. Apple decides from there, and devices can stay locked. On top of the provider’s own rules, Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA) can restrict the release of a deceased person’s personal information for up to twenty years. Planning ahead with the platform’s built-in tools is the reliable way to avoid that.
Confirmed against Apple’s official help pages on 2026-07-02. Policies change, so check the links below before you act. This is general information, not legal advice.