Your phone may hold years of photos, messages and important documents.
If you die, your family does not automatically get access to everything on it. A screen lock can protect files stored on the phone, while cloud accounts have their own rules.
The best time to decide what should happen to your data is while you can still make that choice.
First, know where your files are
A photo saved only on your phone is different from one backed up to Google Photos, iCloud or OneDrive.
Access to a cloud account does not necessarily unlock the phone itself. Check which services actually back up your photos and files, and keep a separate copy of the memories you want your family to have.
Set up Google’s Inactive Account Manager
If you use Gmail, Google Photos or Google Drive, open Google Inactive Account Manager while signed in.
Choose how long Google should wait without account activity, add a trusted person, and select which types of data that person may receive.
You can choose to notify them without sharing data, or let them download selected data.
Google checks signs of account activity before it starts the plan. It responds to inactivity, not a death notice.
Tell your trusted person that you chose them, and keep their contact details up to date. Review your choices from time to time. Google says it may delete an account after at least two years of inactivity, so do not leave this planning indefinitely.
If you use an iPhone, add an Apple Legacy Contact
On a supported iPhone, go to Settings → your name → Sign-In & Security → Legacy Contact. Add someone you trust and give them the access key. After your death, they will need both that key and your death certificate to request access to eligible Apple Account data, which may include iCloud photos, notes and files.
An Apple Legacy Contact does not receive everything. Apple says iCloud Keychain passwords, passkeys, payment information and purchased media are excluded. It is also a route to eligible account data, not a way to bypass your iPhone passcode.
OneDrive has a digital legacy option too
If you keep photos or files in OneDrive, Microsoft now offers OneDrive Digital legacy.
In OneDrive settings, you can invite a trusted contact and give them a code. Microsoft says the contact can request read-only access to your files. This does not hand over your entire Microsoft account or Outlook inbox.
What can your family do if you made no plan?
They can check for copies of photos and documents you already shared, and use each provider’s official process.
Google has a request form for a deceased person’s account. In some cases it may provide account content after review, but it will not give out passwords or login details. Do not ask Google to close the account before requesting needed data; Google says it cannot turn over the contents after closure.
Apple may ask for a death certificate and other legal documents if there is no Legacy Contact.
Microsoft says access to an unplanned personal account may require a valid court order.
Being next of kin alone is not a universal login key. Requirements can differ by country and account.
Make a simple digital plan today
Choose one trusted person. Set up Google Inactive Account Manager, Apple Legacy Contact or OneDrive Digital legacy for the services you actually use.
Write down where important files are stored and how your family should contact each provider.
Keep any access keys with your estate documents in a secure place.
Do not send your passwords or phone PIN in an ordinary message.
A trusted person can receive the data you choose through official tools without holding the keys to every account you use today.