Your digital legacy includes treasured family photographs, messages from loved ones and important documents. But what happens to those digital memories after you die?
Planning your digital legacy can help someone you trust retrieve precious information. Apple and Google offer tools to help you prepare.
iPhone: Plan your digital legacy with Apple
Apple’s Legacy Contact feature lets you nominate someone to request access to certain Apple Account data after your death.
This may include photographs, messages, notes, files and device backups. It excludes passwords, passkeys and payment details in iCloud Keychain, along with purchased films, music, books and subscriptions.
Your chosen person does not need an Apple device or Apple Account.
How to add a Legacy Contact
On an iPhone running iOS 15.2 or later, with two-factor authentication enabled:
- Open Settings and tap your name.
- Select Sign-In & Security → Legacy Contact.
- Tap Add Legacy Contact and follow the prompts.
- Share the generated access key securely with your chosen person.
Keep a printed copy somewhere safe and tell your contact where to find it. They will need the key and your death certificate to request access.
Read Apple’s Legacy Contact guide.
Samsung and Android: Plan your digital legacy with Google
For Samsung and other Android users, Google’s Inactive Account Manager can help you plan your digital legacy by sharing selected Google Account information with trusted people.
The key difference is the trigger: Google acts after a period of account inactivity, rather than confirmation of death.
You can nominate up to ten contacts and choose which available data each receives.
How to set up Inactive Account Manager
- Visit Google’s Inactive Account Manager and sign in to your personal Google Account.
- Choose how long Google should wait before treating your account as inactive.
- Follow the prompts to provide contact details.
- Add trusted contacts and choose what information to share.
- Review any account-deletion option carefully before saving your plan.
This covers selected Google Account data. It does not automatically cover Samsung Cloud, other services or everything stored on your phone.
Read Google’s Inactive Account Manager guide.
Does Samsung have its own legacy feature?
Samsung has introduced a Digital Legacy feature, but its official support information currently lists South Korea as the supported country. UK availability has not been confirmed for this guide.
For UK readers, Google’s option is a useful starting point for information stored in their Google Account.
Your digital legacy checklist
- Choose someone you trust and discuss your wishes.
- Check where your memories are stored. Photos and documents may be spread across several services.
- Keep backups of irreplaceable photographs and files.
- Store access instructions securely, including Apple’s Legacy Contact key where applicable.
- Review your choices regularly, especially when contact details or relationships change.
For business owners, make separate arrangements for company email, websites and shared files so colleagues can keep essential services running.
A little planning can mean a great deal
Setting aside time to organise your digital legacy could make things easier for those you love—and help preserve memories they will treasure.
For another useful phone check, read our guide to Emergency Contacts and Medical ID.
Features and availability can change. Check the linked provider guidance when setting up your plan.