Every single person on this planet has two things in common; we were all born, and we’re all going to die. Preparing for a new baby is full of excitement and anticipation. End-of-life planning? Not so much. I can’t promise to make the process fun, but I can at least recommend some apps, websites, and books to make things a little more streamlined, and a bit less daunting.
DESIGNATE A LEGACY CONTACT FOR YOUR APPLE DEVICES
So much of our lives, from photos to files, are stored on our Apple devices. An easy way to make sure your loved ones can access this data after you pass is to designate one or more Legacy Contacts. Choose someone you trust to oversee your digital life. I also recommend talking with them about your wishes—everything from your photo collection to online journal entries.
It’s easy to set up a Legacy Contact. On iPhone, go to Settings > tap your name > tap Sign-In & Security > Legacy Contact. Once you’ve chosen a contact, it’s a good idea to reach out to them to let them know. If they have a recent Apple device, you’ll have the option to notify them via iMessage. You can also tap View Access Key to get a QR Code and long password to share with them, either by printing and handing to them or sending digitally. Remember the Access Key is very important to safeguard—it’s how your legacy contact accesses your accounts.
START THE CONVERSATION
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LOCK YOUR APPLE ID WITH A PHYSICAL KEY
Security keys are physical items that can be used to verify your identity when logging into your Apple ID. If you are planning to use security keys, make sure you have at least two. Apple requires you use two, so that if you lose one, you will have another as a backup. At iPhone Life, a brand we recommend is the Yubico Yubikey 5Ci ($75).
IT'S TIME TO USE YOUR APPLE WALLET!
Apple Wallet lets you virtually store your credit and debit cards, rewards cards, boarding passes, movie tickets, and more all in one secure place.
END-OF-LIFE PLANNING
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Color me a virtual-reality optimist. Alongside writing for iPhone Life, I’m a video game developer, 3D artist, and sci-fi author. I own a Meta Quest 3 and use it all the time to play games and view 3D models as I work.
