Apple accessing deceased family member's account

[bsamoul]

Hi all - was hoping you could help me out. Per https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208510, Apple can't get around the passcode on devices because they're stored on the device itself, but they can unlock their iCloud account so the phone can be erased and restored from backup.

Has anyone actually had experience with this? My biggest concern is how the iCloud account gets "unlocked". Does a password reset email get sent to that email? We don't have access to the email and it probably won't get relinquished to us by the widow, and this is a very sticky legal situation.

If anyone has any input, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[chrfr]

Hi all - was hoping you could help me out. Per https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208510, Apple can't get around the passcode on devices because they're stored on the device itself, but they can unlock their iCloud account so the phone can be erased and restored from backup.

Has anyone actually had experience with this? My biggest concern is how the iCloud account gets "unlocked". Does a password reset email get sent to that email? We don't have access to the email and it probably won't get relinquished to us by the widow, and this is a very sticky legal situation.

If anyone has any input, it would be greatly appreciated.

They don't unlock the iCloud account, they just remove the lock that ties the device to the account which prevents it from being activated by another user. It sounds like you'll still have a problem getting access to the device, if the widow doesn't want you to have access to it.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

You won’t get ANYTHING if you’re not the designated next of kin. If the widow is the legal party responsible for the decedent’s affairs, only she would.