what good is a legacy contact if they can't access ALL INFORMATION

danuke wrote:

This sure looked good at first glance. I am 76 years old and my wife is somewhat younger, but not that much into computers.

I do all the bill paying online etc. So this sure looks like a potential to help surviving spouses, but once again Apple manages to screw things up.

I was looking at the details of Legacy Contacts and ran across this additional blurb. . .

They can't access information such as ". . . like payment information, passwords, and passkeys." Seems to me that they need access to all of it, otherwise why bother?

Naming someone a legacy contact gives them access to your Apple data. It's not intended as a way to transfer your digital life to your heirs. Apple simply doesn't have the right to give out things like payment information or login creditials for other services.

If you are the only person who currently has access to online bank accounts, or utility accounts, you should definitely have a way for your spouse to access that information in the event you become incapacitated. Some people write them down in a notebook. Some people keep a shared file on a computer. And other people use a third-party password service like 1Password and just share the master password. You can also give your spouse your Apple ID and password. That will give them access to the entire account.

See this article for some additional advice:

https://www.lawsafe.com/blog/share-passwords-after-death/

danuke wrote:

Are you certain about that: "Apple simply doesn't have the right to give out things like payment information or login creditials for other services." Actually I think that given the premise of me giving permission, it would fly with no problem.

I suppose it could be that they simply don't want to open up that legal can of worms. But, particularly around banking in the U.S., I would guess that it's something Apple isn't allowed to do.

Trying to avoid this: "Some people write them down in a notebook."

If your spouse is not comfortable with technology, it's the way I'd go.

Apple Legacy seemed to be pointing/thinking in the right direction but fell short.

Apple's Legacy Contact does exactly what it is intended to do - make your Apple information available to someone else in the event of your death. You want it to be something it's not. It's fine for you to want whatever you want but I don't think it's likely that you're going to get it in this case. But, no harm in asking Apple:

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