Why Cell Phone Legacy Planning Matters

If you suddenly became hospitalized, would you want your spouse or family to have a key to your house – or would you leave them locked out? We ask this question to have you consider whether your cell phone is a vital piece of your property your family may need access to in an emergency.

Cell phones have become a larger part of how we access the digital world and what we own and manage inside of it. In the unfortunate event that you became incapacitated, could your spouse or family access your cell phone to get vital information?

We all have many megabytes worth of information on our phones - it helps if the people who matter most can access it. Both Apple and Android have prepared easy to implement, secure solutions. This may be a tool you never need to use, but your family will thank you for not locking them out!

Apple Legacy Contact
What it Does: Apple Legacy Contact lets you name one or more trusted people who can request access to certain data in your Apple Account after your death, such as photos, messages, notes, files, and device backups. It does not provide access to passwords, payment information, passkeys, or purchased media subscriptions.

How to Sign Up:

View this official Apple Support Article to get started.
On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, then select Sign-In & Security and Legacy Contact.
Tap Add Legacy Contact, choose the person you trust, and share the access key with them.
On a Mac computer, go to System Settings, select your name, then Sign-In & Security and Legacy Contact.

Android Inactive Account Manager
What it Does: Google’s Inactive Account Manager lets you decide what should happen to parts of your Google Account if it becomes inactive for a set period of time. You can choose trusted contacts to notify, decide which data they may receive, and choose whether the account should eventually be deleted.

How to Sign Up:

View this official Android Support Article to get started.
Sign in to your Google Account and navigate to the Inactive Account Manager page.
Choose how long Google should wait before considering the account inactive.
Then add a phone number and backup email for alerts, select trusted contacts, and the data they may receive. Review and turn on the plan.

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