When Peggy Bush’s husband died, she was distraught but able to navigate the death of her long time husband and successfully had the title to their house and financial accounts transferred to her name and control. But she was not counting on the fact that her greatest challenge would be over accessing a game that she often played on the couples iPad. She contacted Apple to try to gain access to account that controlled purchases on the device but was told by Apple that she must have a court order in order to be granted the ability to change the password. This is in spite of the fact that she knew the password to the iPad and otherwise had a bevy of proof of her husbands death and relationship to her but that was not enough for the electronics giant. This incident goes to show that management of digital assets is of the highest priority in this day and age and requires a plan be in place so that the executor of an estate may be able to access accounts. In the case of Mrs. Bush, the inability to access an Apple ID is minor but many others have accounts that contain important information or assets that will essentially be frozen unless tedious and costly hoops are jumped through. However, some companies refuse any access to a deceased account, no matter what a court says, so keep that in mind when estate planning and always ask a client what online assets they might possess and how they want access to them be dictated in the event of death or incapacitation.
See Jim Lamm, Widow Told by Apple to Get Court Order So She Can Continue to Play a Card Game on the Couple’s iPad After Her Husband’s Death, Digital Passing, January 18, 2016
