Request access to a deceased family member’s Apple Account
Learn how to request access to or delete someone’s Apple Account and the data stored with it after they have passed away.
About requesting access to an account
Every day, people all over the world save important documents, memories, and more on their Apple devices and in iCloud. Apple considers privacy to be a fundamental human right, and our users expect Apple to help keep their information private and secure at all times. In the unfortunate event of a customer’s death, Apple provides options for their loved ones to request access to or delete their Apple Account and the data stored with it.
For security reasons, Apple requires and verifies legal documentation before we can assist with a deceased person’s account. This generally includes a death certificate, and might also require a court order or other documentation. Apple has great sympathy for surviving family members and tries to help with requests as much and as quickly as possible.
Documentation requirements might vary by country or region. For example, in Japan, you might need a family certificate indicating the death of an account holder instead of a death certificate.
About Activation Lock
While Apple might be able to help remove Activation Lock from devices that were signed into your loved one’s original Apple Account, you will need to erase and restore their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad before it can be used with another Apple Account.
Please note that devices locked with a passcode are protected by passcode encryption, and Apple can’t help remove the passcode lock without erasing the device.
About estate planning
Apple encourages users to consider adding a Legacy Contact for their Apple Account, or an inheritance plan to their will that covers the personal information stored on devices and in iCloud.
This can simplify the process of acquiring a legal order and reduce delay and frustration for family members during a difficult time.
If you have a Legacy Contact access key
You might have a Legacy Contact access key in your Apple Account settings, printed out, or included in your loved one’s estate planning documents. Legacy Contact is the easiest, most secure way that Apple users can give someone they trust access to the data they stored in their Apple Account after they pass away.
Learn how to request access to an Apple Account as a Legacy Contact
If you want to permanently delete an Apple Account
If you’d like to request the permanent deletion of an Apple Account and data for someone who passed away, you’ll need an Apple Account. If you don’t have an Apple Account of your own, you can create one. You’ll also need the Apple Account that you want to delete, and required legal documentation for your country or region.
Start a request to delete a deceased person’s Apple Account on Apple’s Digital Legacy website
Request access with a court order or other legal documentation
In the U.S. and other locales, you can request access to a deceased person’s Apple Account and data with a court order. This order must name you as the rightful inheritor of your loved one’s personal information. In some jurisdictions (such as France, Germany, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand), alternative documentation and process instead of a court order are accepted. Where applicable, the court order needs to specify:
The name and Apple Account 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 Account.
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. The court order should be addressed to the relevant Apple entity.
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