So if the person dies, where is the Legacy Key?

Gotcha … now we’re sync’d !!!

Does your designated code recipient have an AppleID and a “current” iOS (at least 15.2) or Mac (12.1) device?

If so it would appear that the key THEY are to use upon YOUR death should show up in THEIR screens.

If it’s not … it would seem to be a problem.

= excerpt from instructions for designees =

• If your Apple device has older software and you receive a Legacy Contact notification, you’ll need to update to iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 or macOS 12.1 or later so you can save the access key in your Apple ID settings.
• If you don’t have an Apple device or can’t update your Apple device, you can ask your loved one to send you the access key by email or text message, or they can print a physical copy for you.

The legacy key is much like a will; it has to be generated by the individual Apple user while still alive.

The “Related Article” at the top of this thread does a very good job explaining the details of the process.

But in summary:

The key can be sent to the designee(s) electronically to their iPhone where it is stored in a special repository within their AppleID account … by a simple message to any electronic device … or even printed on a piece paper and handed to them.

Regardless of how the designee receives the key, he/she needs to then present it along w/ the death certificate to Apple who can then “open up” the decedent’s account to the designee.

[I would suppose that printed keys could also be made part of a formal will with the designee(s) listed … but I’m not a lawyer and am just “thinking out loud” on this part.]

Update:

Just tried this “both ways” on my and my spouse’s iOS 15.4 iPhones.

Note: We are both in a common, shared-family, AppleOne plan.

Both phones DO display the “other individual” in Settings -> AppleID -> Password & Security -> Legacy Contact generally as described in Apple’s support articles.

Interestingly, neither of us see an actual alpha-numeric “code” or a QR image which we could otherwise “file/backup” for safekeeping.

We just have to “believe” that Apple’s “back office” data linkages will continue to function as-intended in the [hopefully distant] future when needed.

Edit to add: It apprears to assume that the “designee” remains an an active AppleID user. How a designee - who subsequently ceased being an an active AppleID user - would execute the “access request” functions w/o knowing the code is not clear to me.

Ah, so you DO have the code in your “Password & Security”

It appears that the general instructions to be followed are here:

How to request access to a deceased family member’s Apple account – Apple Support (AU)

Which in your case should lead you to here:

https://digital-legacy.apple.com/

We’ve def looked under a lot of stones. 😉

From what you’ve posted, this one certainly sounds like a malfunction of a new, fairly complex feature.

Time to formally contact Apple Support.

(I’ll try it myself tomorrow; been meaning to do so since 15.2 deployed)