This piece of news is a genuinely emotional development for me. Having acted for Rachel Thompson, who lost her husband Matthew in the most sudden and tragic of circumstances, I know only too well how important this new update from Apple is.
As things currently stand, if your loved one dies and you do not know the login details for his/her iCloud, then all the photographs, videos and other memories and information on their iCloud/iPhone will be lost ... unless you go to court. The solution seemed simple and now, at Apple's WWDC 2021 announcement, the company have confirmed that users will soon be able to assign a Legacy Contact who will be able to request access to the account (upon proof of death, using a death certificate).
This will remove huge cost and heartache and is a significant development in digital compassion. This morning I sent a WhatsApp to Rachel. Her response to me was simple: "Wow! Amazing!". We campaigned on this issue, making numerous television appearances and Rachel told her story beautifully in a piece with the Daily Mail and now, finally, people in a similar position to her will not have to go through the same ordeal.
The full Apple announcement can be viewed here. The segment on Digital Legacy as at 54.10.
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