What is meant by access key

It’s a pre-shared digital key which the pre-designated legacy contact uses to gain access to the AppleID of a decedent.

It can be a code stored on the legacy contact’s AppleID; or it can be a digital string / QR code pre-shared to a non-AppleID holder.

How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID – Apple Support (AU)

Request access to an Apple account as a Legacy Contact – Apple Support (AU)

Then you follow the instructions under “Add a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID” in this article:

How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID – Apple Support (AU)

You will designate a person to be your legacy contact and generate their unique key.

If that person is an AppleID user, the key will be safely stored on that person’s AppleID (after they accept it).

If that person is NOT an AppleID user, you’ll need to save/print the code and figure out with that person how best to deliver AND safeguard the key until it's needed.

Regardless of who you designate, they MUST understand BEFOREHAND exactly what they’re supposed to do after your death. That is outlined here:

Request access to an Apple account as a Legacy Contact – Apple Support (AU)

Seesaw74 wrote:

I am the pre-decedant

How to retrieve the key is described here: How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID - Apple Support

Once the Legacy Contact has been added, see the section: Share the access key with your Legacy Contact

Are you the “pre-decedent” … or the “legacy contact” ?