What happens to your digital accounts after you die?

Our digital lives now hold far more than messages and social media posts.

Photos, emails, documents, subscriptions, payment accounts, cloud storage and years of personal history may all be tied to accounts that only one person knows how to access.

Many people assume that sharing a password with someone they trust is enough. But once a platform is informed that an account holder has died, normal access may be restricted. Some services provide specific tools for planning what should happen next, while others require family members or representatives to submit formal requests.

The result is that knowing a password does not necessarily mean someone will be able or permitted to use it.

The good news is that Apple, Google and Facebook provide settings that allow you to make some decisions in advance.

Why passwords may not be enough

Passwords are designed to protect your privacy while you are alive. They are not, by themselves, a digital legacy plan.

A family member may know the password to an account but still face practical or legal restrictions after the account holder dies. Platforms may ask for documents, memorialise the account, restrict login or require the family to use a dedicated process.

Google, for example, says it will not provide passwords or other login details when dealing with requests relating to a deceased account holder. It may work with immediate family members or representatives in certain circumstances, but every request is reviewed and access is not automatic.

Planning through the platform's own settings is therefore usually clearer than leaving family members to work everything out later.

Apple Legacy Contact

Apple allows you to nominate one or more people as Legacy Contacts.

A Legacy Contact may be able to request access to certain information stored in your Apple Account after your death. This can include photos, messages, notes, files and device backups. It does not include everything: Apple excludes areas such as iCloud Keychain data, passwords, passkeys, payment information and some purchased media and subscriptions.

To request access, the Legacy Contact generally needs:

Apple says a Legacy Contact does not need to own an Apple device. The access key can be shared digitally, printed or saved alongside other important documents.

How to add an Apple Legacy Contact

On an iPhone or iPad:

Apple may ask you to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode.

This is a useful first step, particularly for photos, files and other information held within your Apple Account.

Google Inactive Account Manager

Google approaches digital legacy differently.

Its Inactive Account Manager allows you to decide what should happen if your Google Account remains inactive for a period you choose. You can nominate up to ten people and decide whether they should simply be notified or receive selected account data. Different people can receive different types of information.

Depending on your choices, this may include data connected to services such as:

Google determines inactivity using several signals, including recent sign-ins, Gmail use, activity history and Android check-ins. The plan is triggered only after the selected period of inactivity has passed.

You can also tell Google whether you want the account deleted.

Without a plan, Google reserves the right to delete a personal Google Account and its data after at least two years of inactivity, subject to its inactive-account policy and exceptions.

How to set up Google Inactive Account Manager

Unlike Apple, Google's tool is based on inactivity rather than confirmation of death. That makes it important to keep your recovery details current and review the plan periodically.

Facebook Legacy Contact

Facebook allows eligible users to choose a Legacy Contact for their main profile.

After a profile has been memorialised, the Legacy Contact may be able to help manage certain parts of it. This can include adding a pinned post, responding to new friend requests, and changing the profile or cover image.

A Facebook Legacy Contact cannot:

Facebook also allows users to choose permanent account deletion instead of appointing a Legacy Contact. The feature applies to the main Facebook profile and the account holder must be at least 18 to nominate someone.

Facebook memorialises accounts after receiving a valid request. Memorialisation also prevents anyone from logging into the profile.

What about email, photos and other digital accounts?

Apple, Google and Facebook are only part of most people's digital lives.

You may also have:

Some of these services offer legacy or inactivity settings. Others have their own procedures for closing an account or requesting access after death. Some may not transfer access at all.

The important point is that each platform's setting deals only with that platform.

An Apple Legacy Contact will not tell your family which Google Accounts you use. Google's Inactive Account Manager will not explain your subscriptions, websites or online payment accounts. A Facebook Legacy Contact will not provide access to your email or cloud files.

Your digital legacy is more than account access

A useful digital legacy plan should answer more than “What is the password?”

It should help someone you trust understand:

You may not want one person to receive everything. Financial information may need to go to one person, personal photos to another, and business information to someone else.

That is why controlled, organised information-sharing is more useful than simply leaving behind a password list.

A simpler way to organise the wider picture

Setting up a Legacy Contact for Apple, Google or Facebook is a useful first step. But your digital life is broader than any one platform, and knowing what else to organise is not always obvious.

KinSure's guided workflow takes you through the different areas of your life, helping you capture important information across digital accounts, finances, property, legal documents and family records.

You do not need to work out the full checklist yourself or rely on memory. KinSure helps you move through the process step by step, so important information is less likely to be overlooked.

You can also assign the right nominee to each item, rather than giving one person access to everything.

Start with one platform setting, then let KinSure help you organise the wider picture.

Important note

Platform features, menu names and eligibility can vary by device, operating system, country, account type and future product updates. Check the official Apple, Google and Facebook Help Centres before relying on any setup instructions.