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About this tool
Check Apple legacy contact eligibility, plan the access key handover and see what the 3-year access window covers.
An Apple legacy contact is a person you name in advance who can request access to your Apple Account data after your death, using an access key you give them now plus a death certificate. The feature needs two-factor authentication and iOS 15.2 or macOS 12.1 or later, both people must be at least 13, and you can name up to 5 contacts. This guide checks whether your setup qualifies today, plans how the access key reaches them, and sets out the three-year access window and what it excludes.
Open Apple Legacy Contact Setup Guide on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Enter your age, the legacy contact's age, the device you are 'Setting it up on' with its OS version, and tick 'Two-factor authentication is on' if it applies.
Set how many legacy contacts you plan to name (1 to 5) and pick a date under 'If access were approved on' to model the access window.
Read the eligibility verdict, blockers and the day the three-year window would close, tick off the Essential, Recommended and Optional steps, then click 'Copy plan'.
Two-factor status, both ages and the OS version are tested before the checklist is worth starting.
The key is stored automatically only if the contact uses recent Apple devices; otherwise the printed copy is the whole plan.
The end date of the three-year window is calculated, and the excluded categories are listed rather than assumed.
The Apple Account must use two-factor authentication, the device must run iOS or iPadOS 15.2, macOS 12.1 or later, and both you and the legacy contact must be at least 13. Without two-factor authentication the Legacy Contact option does not appear in Sign-In & Security at all.
Up to 5. Naming more than one is worth doing because a single contact who loses the access key, dies first or lives in another country leaves nobody able to make the request.
iCloud Photos, Notes, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Messages, call history, files in iCloud Drive, Health data, Safari bookmarks and iCloud device backups. They do not receive purchased films, music, books or apps, in-app purchases, subscriptions, payment information, or passwords stored in iCloud Keychain.
Three years from the date the first legacy access request is approved, after which the account is permanently deleted. That is why the practical part of the plan is making sure someone knows the key exists, knows a death certificate is required, and acts within the window.