iPhone – New iPhone function will kick in if you die

An incoming update for iPhones and iPads will be ready to start working in case you die.

It will allow others to access your data and will be part of Apple’s iOS 15 update, allowing users to nominate people who can have access when you die.

Owners can put forward who they would like to be known as “legacy contacts” so they can access your account and personal information when you are gone.

Mike Abbott, Apple Cloud Services vice-president, said: “We don’t often think about it, but it’s important that we can easily pass down information to family members or friends when we pass away.

“You’ll now be able to add people to your account as legacy contacts so when you’re gone, they can simply request access and your information can be passed along, quickly and easily.”

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Apple has previously required a court order and a grant of probate to allow access to its cloud storage in the UK.

To prevent the need for this, lawyers advise making “digital wills” that identify executors who can manage your digital estate.

Some platforms, such as Facebook and Google, already allow users to nominate someone who can access their account after their death, known as legacy contacts or trusted contacts.

Users will need to provide a copy of a death certificate and an access key to gain access to the account – but this will not include payment information or subscriptions.

It will also not allow access to a passcode-locked device, so this should be included in a digital will if you want someone to inherit your tech hardware.

The feature is one of a range of new additions that will transform the way Apple products work once iOS 15 arrives.

Other big revamps include:

The new iOS 15 operating system is expected to be available later this year.