When we die, it's not just physical estates that need to be settled, an entire digital footprint survives us. So what do Apple and Google do with that data? Your accounts won't forever haunt the internet after you die. The death of a loved one typically comes not only with the immense emotional weight of grief, but also an onslaught of administrative tasks — a home to sell, a cell phone bill to cancel and belongings to offload.
As we increasingly live our lives online, our deaths have become more digital as well. So when preparing for the inevitable, what should you do about your Google and Apple accounts — and what should you do if a loved one dies? Much of how accounts are dealt with after a death has to do with whether the account holder made any preparations while living. Many platforms have programs to help you handle your digital legacy, but these require conscious decisions before death to transfer access to a trusted representative.
Without this, the fate of accounts depends largely on the policies of the platforms in question, which vary across Apple and Google.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing