if i die how will family members be able to access my account without my thumb print

if i die how will family members be able to access my account without my thumb print

iPad, iPadOS 18

Posted on Apr 5, 2025 9:45 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 5, 2025 11:14 AM

You can add a Legacy Contact. A Legacy Contact is someone you choose to have access to the data in your Apple Account after your death.


See How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account - Apple Support and Data that a Legacy Contact can access - Apple Support


5 replies

Apr 6, 2025 8:47 AM in response to MrsWea

They probably do not access your tumb print or fingerprint since Touch ID makes sure that the user is alive they can request your data after you die or you can add them as a legacy contact

Request Data after death

How to request access to a deceased family member’s Apple Account - Apple Support

Add legacy contact

How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account - Apple Support


Apr 6, 2025 9:14 AM in response to MrsWea

Personally I would recommend storing the Passcode and Apple Account/Password in a safe place and make your family is aware. This does require a certain level of trust where you would not suspect a family member would use this information in a nefarious manner while you are alive. This level of trust is not possible for every situation, so that is a personal decision only you can make. While I may be alone in this approach, there are limitations in the other options:

  • With a Legacy Contact the access key still must be stored in a safe place that your family is aware of, or given to a family member where it can be used along with a Death Certificate.
  • Additional documentation is required, such as a Death Certificate. This is for your protection to make sure your data is secure while alive, so if there is a trust issue with family members, then that may be a consideration.
  • All information is not available when using a Legacy Contact. Some of this information is personal, such as Passwords, but also may be useful for your family in closing accounts and cancelling subscriptions.
  • With the link to access a deceased family members data, that only includes your data stored in iCloud and all data on your device will be lost, unless available in a backup.
  • Also the link to request access to a deceased family member may require a court order or additional documentation.

Apr 6, 2025 9:54 AM in response to MrsWea

First, a caveat: Touch ID does not replace your password or passcode. The iPad passcode must be entered every few days and after a restart to re-activate Touch ID. Touch ID also does not replace the passcode on a secure note in Notes app.


In addition to the Legacy Contact mechanism mentioned in replies above, you can provide password archives or a master password list kept in a safe deposit box, kept in a labeled key-locked or passcode-locked storage box at home, in the documents including a Will kept at a lawyer’s office, or written on a sticker stuck on the bottom of your keyboard or on a slip kept underneath the iPad protective case, for a wide range of situations and possibilities and preferences.


There are also so-called deadman’s services, which will periodically check on you, and that will then send a designated email to designated people if you don’t respond to the periodic prompts. (You could do an exceedingly low-budget version of this deadman with a weekly reminder to reschedule out a timed message send, too. Or most any other deferred-send mechanism.)


If you have photos or genealogy or other such data that can be of interest to some of your friends and relatives, I would look to share copies of that data now, with those that are interested.


If you do have the money for a lawyer and a will, ask them for suggestions, too.

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if i die how will family members be able to access my account without my thumb print

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