EQUIPEngadget · 2h ago
What happens to Google and Apple accounts when the owner dies?

Executive Brief
The 30-second read
This brief examines the protocols implemented by Apple and Google for managing digital assets and data footprints following an account holder's death. C-suite leaders must proactively integrate digital estate planning into their personal and corporate governance strategies to ensure data continuity.
- 01Apple and Google maintain specific technical protocols for settling the digital estates of deceased users
- 02Digital footprints require formal transition plans to prevent permanent loss of critical account data
- 03Active management of platform-specific settings is necessary to grant survivors authorized access to information
- 04Estates must address digital asset distribution alongside physical property in modern legacy planning
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When we die, it's not just physical estates that need to be settled, an entire digital footprint survives us. So what do Apple and Google do with that data?