Digital Accounts After Death (Apple, Google, Facebook)

Identify the route and completion evidence

1. Inventory accounts and identify preservation, access or deletion goals.
2. Locate any legacy-contact designation and accepted authority evidence.
3. Submit the provider’s official request for the selected outcome.
4. Complete any data review before irreversible closure or device erasure.
5. Track the account decision, stored records and separate billing changes.

After a death, the family may need photographs, records or an account decision while continuing bills remain open. Begin with the desired outcome and the provider’s accepted request instead of relying on access to a device or password.

Apple, Google and Facebook account decisions can involve different evidence and outcomes. Keep digital-data work alongside the separate executor subscription checklist and the estate’s financial records.

How digital-asset access rules affect the request

The Uniform Law Commission’s revised digital-assets act distinguishes management of digital property from access to the content of electronic communications. Consent and the applicable state enactment matter; being an executor does not automatically entitle someone to every email or message.

Review the account holder’s online directions and estate documents with the authorized representative. Ask the custodian what evidence and request route apply to the specific data. Do not describe the model act as a nationwide password-disclosure requirement. For a disputed request, obtain advice about the enacted law and the document language.

Apple: access through a Legacy Contact

Start with Apple’s official deceased-account instructions. A named Legacy Contact should locate the access key and use Apple’s Digital Legacy request. Without that route, Apple describes requests using court orders or other legal documentation; the accepted evidence varies by country or region.

Account access and device reuse are different. Apple says passcode encryption cannot be removed without erasing the device. Removing Activation Lock does not recover local files that were never available through an authorized account-data route. Do not erase first if preservation is unresolved.

Ask Apple which data the approved route actually makes available. A Legacy Contact is not an unrestricted transfer of passwords, payment information or licensed purchases. Confirm the available data and save what the approved process permits before treating the account work as complete.

Google: request account content or closure

Google’s deceased-user process distinguishes closure, a funds request and a data request. Immediate family members and representatives can submit a request, but Google reviews the case and does not supply passwords or login details. Content access is conditional rather than guaranteed.

If content is needed, complete that request before submitting closure. Google expressly says it cannot process a later content request after account closure. Inactive Account Manager is a planning tool set by the owner; do not assume it was enabled or that it grants every recipient access to all data.

Record which request was submitted, the account identifier, authority evidence and response reference. A request concerning funds is not proof that email access was approved, and an acknowledgment is not proof that the selected outcome has finished.

Facebook: memorialization or removal

Treat memorialization, removal and business-asset access as separate decisions. Facebook’s official legacy-contact guidance, accessed October 18, 2026, says legacy contacts cannot log in to a memorialized account or read its messages. Permitted profile management is different from ordinary account access.

For removal, Meta’s deceased-family-member instructions require documentation confirming an immediate family member or executor. A death certificate is its preferred route; without it, Meta lists separate authority and death-evidence documents. Follow the current form, cover unnecessary personal information as instructed, and retain the request and decision. A submitted request does not guarantee approval or a completion date.

If a Page, advertising account or business depends on the profile, identify the business owner and other authorized administrators before requesting a change. Ask Meta for the applicable business-support route; a personal-profile decision does not establish that the business assets transferred successfully.

The sequence: documents once, then platform by platform

Work by the urgency of data preservation, payments and business continuity rather than assuming Apple must always be first. Use the process strip and checklist to track each provider separately. An email inbox can help identify accounts only where access is authorized; bank statements and existing household records are other starting points.

Set up account access for the future

While the owner is alive, review Apple Legacy Contact and Google Inactive Account Manager using their current instructions. Record the designated person, intended data and where the necessary access information is stored securely. Review any Facebook legacy or memorialization options in the current account settings.

Tell the intended representative where the planning records are kept and review them after a contact or account changes. A designation helps clarify the intended route; it does not promise access to every data type, an immediate decision or control of separately owned business assets.

Special cases and exceptions

If a device is passcode locked, separate local-data preservation from an account request and later device reuse. A cloud approval does not establish that all local photos or files were backed up. Keep the device secure while deciding the authorized route.

If a deceased account controls security codes for other services, contact those services about their representative process. Do not use the digital-account request as a substitute for the bank’s estate review. Record any deadline or continuing bill through the responsible organization.

For business accounts, domains or income-generating content, identify ownership and other administrators. Preserve authorized records and ask about account continuity before deletion. A personal legacy designation need not settle business ownership or contractual obligations.

Use an account-by-account preservation log

Create columns for provider, account identifier, desired outcome, authority route, records needed, billing status, submission date and decision. Keep one case reference for each provider. Use limited identifiers in ordinary messages and send identity documents only through the verified secure upload route.

For example, a photo account may need an approved data export while a separately billed subscription needs a cancellation request. Track both outcomes. A completed export does not prove recurring billing ended; a stopped payment does not prove photographs were preserved.

Store approved exports in an access-controlled location and open a sample file to check that the export is usable. Note which dates or folders were included and which remain missing. A download link or a compressed file you cannot open is insufficient completion evidence.

Follow up on the specific missing requirement

If a request stalls, ask whether the provider needs identity, death evidence, authority, consent or a different request type. Send the missing item through the existing case where possible. Repeated applications can produce inconsistent identifiers without resolving the first deficiency.

Keep the provider’s response, submitted document list and next action together. Ask what review or appeal route exists for a denial. A court order or an executor letter does not guarantee reversal of the provider’s decision; the data type and legal requirements matter.

Before irreversible closure, have the authorized representative confirm the preservation decision and separate billing plan. Record the final provider acknowledgment and revisit the inventory for remaining services. Avoid placing private account information in a public memorial or comment thread.

Request and follow-up template

Adapt this letter to the actual request. Use the official channel and any required form; the wording does not replace legal authority, a creditor agreement or the provider’s verification. Include only the information needed for the case and send sensitive evidence securely.

Subject: Digital account estate request

Account / case reference: [identifier]
Original request: [date, channel and reference]

Account holder: [name and relevant account identifier]. Date of death: [date]. My role and documented authority: [details]. Requested outcome: [data access / memorialization / removal / other]. Records needing preservation: [scope]. Please identify the correct request route, required evidence and accepted secure submission method. Please state any effect on data preservation, related business assets or billing, and provide a case reference and written decision. This request is not authorization to delete data unless deletion is expressly selected.

Please acknowledge receipt, identify any missing item, and provide the case reference, next action and written decision.

[Name and authorized role]

Frequently Asked Questions