Google and Apple Offer Digital Legacy Tools, but Death Plans Require Advance Setup

Google introduced its Inactive Account Manager in 2013. The tool lets users specify whether their data should be deleted after three, six or 12 months of inactivity, or whether it should be forwarded to up to 10 trusted contacts. The data can include messages, contacts, YouTube channels and other content. "We hope that this new feature will enable you to plan your digital afterlife in a way that protects your privacy and security," Google product manager Andreas Tuerk wrote in a blog post when the feature was announced.

If a user does not set up Inactive Account Manager, Google may delete an inactive account after at least two years without activity. The company detects activity through sign-ins, use of the Gmail app and other actions involving Google products. Family members can contact Google directly to ask that a deceased relative's account be deactivated before the standard two-year period, but Google does not provide them with data from the account.

Apple's system is built around Legacy Contacts. A user can designate up to five people who have the legal right to access iCloud data and devices after death. The designation is made through Apple Account settings, which generate an access key for each contact. After the user dies, a legacy contact can use that key, along with a death certificate, to access personal data such as photos, messages, notes, files and device backups. Apple requires the death certificate before granting access.

Once a legacy contact submits the death certificate and access key, they have three years to download the data before the account is permanently deleted. The legacy contact does not gain access to purchased content such as music, movies or books. Unlike physical DVDs or books, those digital media purchases cannot be passed on to heirs.

If an Apple user does not set up a legacy contact, the company's deletion timeline is shorter than Google's. After one year of inactivity on iCloud, the user receives a warning email, and the account is deleted 30 days later.

Editor's Summary

Google and Apple both allow users to name trusted contacts or set inactivity rules for their accounts after death, but these options require advance action. Without them, accounts may be deleted under default timelines, and families may be unable to access data. Apple also restricts purchased digital media from being passed to legacy contacts.