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Estate Planning with Apple’s Legacy Contact

Client Alert
August 9, 2023

What happens to your Apple ID account when you die? Apple has created a feature among its products which allows you to choose one or more people to have access to your Apple ID account following your death. Apple refers to the online tool as a “Legacy Contact.” An Apple user may designate anyone to be their Legacy Contact, including those who do not own an Apple device or have an Apple ID. You can send the legacy contact a message that includes the access key, or you can print off a copy and keep it with your estate documents. At any time before your death, you may remove someone from being a Legacy Contact. The person you have removed will not receive a notification that they have been removed. However, their access key will no longer work.

If you are named as someone’s Legacy Contact and the account holder has passed, you can access their data by submitting a request to Apple with the access key that you received and the account holder’s death certificate. Once this information has been verified and access has been approved, the Legacy Contact will receive a special Apple ID to access the account data. The data a Legacy Contact may access includes photos, notes, mail, contacts, calendars, reminders, messages, call history, health data, Safari bookmarks, voice memos, and files stored. The Legacy Contact’s access only lasts for three years, and the account will be deleted permanently following the three-year period.

Apple’s new feature has a significant impact on estate planning. Under Ohio law, online tools such as Apple’s Legacy Contact supersede contrary directions in a person’s will, trust, power of attorney, or other record. This means that if you do not name the same person to be your Legacy Contact as you name in your will or trust, your Legacy Contact may act contrary to what your will or trust states. Therefore, it is important to consult with an experienced estate planning attorney when determining how to handle digital assets. Those who do not have a plan for their digital assets may be susceptible to identity theft, losses to the estate, exposure of secrets, and loss of sentimental data.

If you have any questions regarding Apple’s Legacy Contact or planning for your digital assets, please contact Cassandra Manna at clmanna@bmdllc.com or (216) 658-2206.

Estate Planning
Client Alert

Pre and Postnuptial Agreements | Necessary, Maybe, What Happened to Forever?

November 7, 2025Both Florida and Ohio now allow clients to enter into a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement prior to marriage or after marriage (Ohio previously did not allow postnuptial agreements). Both documents have statutory guidelines that must be followed in terms of execution and financial disclosure.Client Alert

DHS Ends All Employment Authorization Auto-Extensions

October 29, 2025Effective October 30, 2025, DHS ends all automatic work authorization renewals. The 540-day extension applies only to renewals filed before this date, and there is no grace period for expired EADs filed on or after October 30. Employers must audit EADs, train staff, ensure I-9 compliance, and plan for work authorization gaps. Penalties for noncompliance can be severe.Client Alert

CMS’s Rural Health Funding Announcement

October 27, 2025CMS has announced a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program to improve healthcare access, quality, and outcomes in rural communities. All states are eligible to apply for funding by November 5, 2025. Half of the funds will be distributed equally, with the remainder based on state-specific factors. The program supports evidence-based initiatives, workforce recruitment, and access to treatment services, with awards assessed annuallyClient Alert

Expanding Access to Care: Ohio’s Effort to Modernize APRN Practice Through Ohio SB 258 and HB 508

October 24, 2025Ohio is moving to expand access to healthcare through Senate Bill 258 and House Bill 508, which would modernize APRN practice by removing the outdated requirement for a physician contract. This change would allow nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists to provide care more efficiently, especially in underserved areas, while maintaining high-quality, cost-effective care.Client Alert

Cleveland Joins the Pay Transparency Movement: What Employers Need to Know

October 21, 2025Beginning October 27, 2025, all Cleveland employers with 15 or more employees will be prohibited from asking applicants about their pay history and will be required to include reasonable pay ranges in all job postings where the position will be performed, solicited, considered, or processed in Cleveland. The ordinance is intended to help close the gender wage gap and promote greater pay equity across the city.
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