Digital photos may exist on a device and also sync with an Apple, Google, or other cloud account. Knowing a password does not necessarily give heirs permission to access an account under its service terms, so plan ahead.
Plan How to Preserve Photos and Accounts
- List devices, email accounts, cloud services, and who pays for them.
- Choose important photos and keep an encrypted backup. Tell a trusted person how to locate it.
- Review the provider’s digital legacy tools instead of writing passwords into a will that may be disclosed.
- Update contacts and access instructions when accounts or devices change.
Apple’s Legacy Contact tool lets a user designate someone to access certain data after death, subject to an Access Key and required documents. Google’s Inactive Account Manager lets a user specify information to share or people to notify after a period of inactivity. These services may not cover every type of data, and terms vary by country. See Apple Legacy Contact and Google Inactive Account Manager.
The associated video discusses money management and inflation, not photo preservation or digital-account rights.
Scope: Provider procedures and account terms can change. Use the provider’s current instructions and consider legal advice when planning access to digital accounts.