How to add a Legacy Contact to your Apple Account

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Open Settings, tap your name, tap Sign-In & Security and tap Legacy Contact. Tap Add Legacy Contact, confirm with Face ID or your passcode, choose the person and send or print the access key. After your death, that person can ask Apple for access with the key and a death certificate.

Without preparation, the photos, notes and files in an iCloud account are very hard for a family to reach after a death. A Legacy Contact is the person you name in advance. They get nothing while you are alive: the access key only works together with a death certificate.

Menu names are from recent versions of iOS.

Step by step

  1. Open Settings and tap your name

    Then tap Sign-In & Security.

  2. Tap Legacy Contact

    Tap Add Legacy Contact and confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or the passcode of the iPhone.

  3. Choose the person

    Pick someone from your Family Sharing group or from your contacts, by phone number or email address. The person does not need an Apple device or an Apple Account. They must be over 13, and the age limit differs between countries.

  4. Share the access key

    Send the key in a message, which stores it in the settings of the other person's Apple device, or choose Print a Copy. A printed key or PDF can be kept with your will and other papers.

  5. Tell the person

    Explain what the key is for and where the printed copy is. Without the key, the Legacy Contact cannot make the request.

  6. Add a second person if you wish

    You can name more than one Legacy Contact. Each gets their own key.

Good to know

What a Legacy Contact can reach: photos, messages, notes, files, device backups and more. What stays closed: bought films, music, books and subscriptions, and everything in the keychain, such as saved passwords, passkeys and payment details.

The request is made at digital-legacy.apple.com. Apple checks the key and the death certificate and then gives access for a limited time.

To remove someone, go back to Legacy Contact, tap the name and choose Remove Contact. Their key stops working.

A related but different helper is the recovery contact, who helps you yourself when you are locked out: how to add a recovery contact to your Apple Account.

In short: Settings, your name, Sign-In & Security, Legacy Contact, Add Legacy Contact, choose the person, share or print the access key.

Sources
  • Apple Support: How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.