Three Digital Settings That Take Ten Minutes and Will Save Your Family a Lot of Frustration

Your Apple, Google, and Meta accounts are locked by default. Here's how to change that.

Most of what goes into preparing for the ‘what if’s’ involves real thinking—who gets what, what you want, what you believe. These three things don't. They're settings. Buried inside apps you use every day to name a trusted person who can access your digital accounts if you can’t.

Without them, your family has no official way to access your Apple, Google, and Meta accounts. They just sit there, locked. Indefinitely. 

Or you can take ~10 min and follow these simple steps…

1. Apple Legacy Contact

~2 Minutes

What it does: Names someone who can request access to your iCloud account after you're gone—photos, messages, notes, and most of what lives in your Apple world. Without this, there's no official Apple process for your family to get in.

What You'll Need

• The Apple ID or phone number of the person you're naming
• Your iPhone (this is done in Settings, not on a computer)

Steps

1. Search “Legacy Contacts” (Or find under Settings > Sign-In & Security)
2. Tap Add Legacy Contact.
3. Choose the person from your contacts, or type their Apple ID or phone number.
4. Follow the prompts. Apple generates an Access Key—your contact will need this later to make their request.
5. Share the Access Key with them now, or save it somewhere findable.
6. Tap Done.

One thing to know: The menu label may say "Password & Security" instead of "Sign-In & Security" depending on your iOS version—same place, different label. Your contact doesn't log in as you—they submit the Access Key along with a death certificate directly to Apple, who then grants them access. Keep that key somewhere your Legacy Contact can actually find it.

2. Google Inactive Account Manager

~5 minutes

What it does: Tells Google what to do with your account if you stop using it. You set a waiting period of inactivity, name up to ten people to notify, and choose what they can access. Without this setup, the account stays locked by default—even to family.

What You'll Need

• A computer or mobile browser (not the Gmail app—you need the full account settings)
• Email addresses for whoever you want to notify

Steps

1. Go to myaccount.google.com in a browser.
2. Click Data & Privacy in the left-hand menu.
3. Click Make a plan for your digital legacy (where Inactive Account Manager lives)
4. Choose your timeout period: how long your account can sit inactive before Google takes action. Options are 3, 6, 12, or 18 months.
5. Add a phone number so Google can try to reach you before triggering anything. (This is a safeguard, not a hoop.)
6. Click Add person and enter the email addresses of whoever you want notified.
7. For each person, choose which Google products they can access—Gmail, Drive, Photos, YouTube, or all of them.
8. Optionally, write a message that gets sent to them when the time comes.
9. Review everything and click Save.

One Thing to Know

Google will attempt to contact you first—via email and the phone number you provided—before notifying anyone on your list. The inactivity period you chose is the gap between your last login and when anything actually happens.

3. Meta Memorialization (Instagram & Facebook)

~5 Minutes

What it does: Names a legacy contact who can manage your Facebook profile after you're gone—pin a final post, respond to friend requests, update the profile and cover photos. Without this, your family has no official way to manage the account. It just stays up, unattended, forever.

What You'll Need

• A Facebook account (obviously)
• The name of a Facebook friend you want to designate

Steps

1. Log into Facebook or Instagram on a computer or mobile browser.
2. Go to ‘Menu’ lower right corner (Facebook) or ‘Profile icon’ (Instagram)
3. Click gear icon in the upper right corner or scroll down to “Settings & Privacy” (Facebook) OR three line icon in upper right corner (Instagram)
4. Use search bar to search “Memorialization Settings” and click 
5. Select an account (Instagram and/or Facebook) to set your preferences and designate a trusted user to manage your profile. 
6. Follow prompts according to your preferences
7. Settings will be reflected across both accounts no matter which platform you use to set

One Thing to Know

Your legacy contact can pin posts and update photos, but they can't log in as you or read your private messages. If you'd rather your account be removed entirely, there's a separate option in the same settings called Request account deletion. You can set that instead.

FAQ

Do I need to do all three of these?

Not necessarily—it depends on which platforms you actually use. But if you use an iPhone and have any iCloud content worth keeping, the Apple Legacy Contact is the highest-priority item on this list.

What if I don't have anyone to name?

You can still set up the inactivity period on Google and choose to have your account deleted rather than shared. For Apple and Meta, you can revisit the settings when the right person comes to mind.

Does my legacy contact need my password?

No. For Apple, they use the Access Key you generate during setup plus a death certificate. For Google and Meta, the platforms handle authorization through their own processes once the right conditions are met.