What happens to a phone and online accounts when someone dies

By the time a family needs a parent's accounts, the phone is usually already locked. And almost every account that matters (the bank, the email, the pharmacy portal) now sends a code to that phone before it lets anyone in.

The good news: both Apple and Google let you plan for this in advance. The catch is that it only works if it was set up while the person was alive.

Apple: the Legacy Contact

An Apple Account holder can name one or more Legacy Contacts. After a death, a Legacy Contact can request access to data stored in iCloud, such as photos, messages, notes, files and device backups.

To do it, they need two things:

• the access key that was generated when they were named as the Legacy Contact
• a copy of the death certificate

Even then, some things stay locked. A Legacy Contact cannot get passwords and payment details kept in iCloud Keychain, and cannot get films, music, books or subscriptions bought with the account.

The access key matters most. If it was never created, or nobody can find it, this route does not exist.

Google: Inactive Account Manager

Google's version is called Inactive Account Manager. You choose how long Google should wait after your account goes quiet, and up to ten people to be told when that happens. Each one gets an email with any message you wrote, and a link to download the data you chose to share with them.

Without it, Google says it can work with immediate family and representatives to close a deceased person's account where appropriate. Requests are reviewed one at a time, and there is no guarantee of getting the contents.

The phone itself

The phone is often the real problem. Two things help:

• Don't cancel the phone line in the first weeks. The verification codes for the bank, the email and other accounts go to that number. Once the carrier releases it, those accounts get much harder to reach.
• Know the passcode. A written note of the passcode, kept somewhere safe at home, is worth more than any app.

Ten minutes this week

1. On an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, and look for Legacy Contact under sign-in and security. Add someone, and make sure they save the access key.
2. On a Google account, search for Inactive Account Manager in your account settings and choose who should be told.
3. Write down, in one place at home, which accounts send codes to which phone, who knows the passcode, and where the access key is kept.

That last list is the one that saves a family the most time.