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Soliman76
User level: Level 1 (4 points)

How to delete a deceased family member's Apple Account and use their phone without accessing personal information?

Hi

my daughter passed away 3 years ago. She was 21. I called apple customer service to delete her Apple account, so her sister can use her phone. We don’t want to access her information. But we just want to use the phone as new phone for sister.

they said that I have to get some kid of document from court to do so.

the court is saying I have to have a case and hire attorney for that.

why is it too complicated!!!!! We just want the phone not the personal information,. If you so concerned about privacy.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Passed away family member

Posted on Sep 19, 2026 10:53 AM

2 replies

Ingo2711
User level: Level 10 (93,009 points)

Sep 19, 2026 11:15 AM in response to Soliman76

If you have proof of purchase, as explained in this article, contact the official Apple Support and ask them to disable the Activation Lock. A removed Activation Lock will make it possible to use the device with another Apple Account.



There are a few requirements before your contact them:

...

You must be the owner of the device.

Apple may require proof of purchase. Proof of ownership must include the product serial number, IMEI or MEID.


Your data on the device will be erased.

If Apple unlocks Activation Lock on your device, all files and data stored on your device will be permanently erased. Please note, restoring your device from a local backup will re-enable Activation Lock.


We can’t unlock a managed device.

If your device is owned by a business or educational institution, please contact your IT department or manager. We also do not accept bulk requests.


Your device must not be in Lost Mode.

...

copied from: Additional Support - Activation Lock

Mac Jim ID
User level: Level 10 (105,996 points)

Sep 19, 2026 11:17 AM in response to Soliman76

First off, sorry for your loss. Not sure what region you are in, but in my State you can become a Personal Representative of an Estate by filing the paperwork with the County courthouse and no lawyer is needed. Of course there is a charge to file the paperwork.


I would contact Apple again as there 3 different things that relate to a deceased persons account/phone. One is gaining access to the iCloud account, and another is deleting that persons iCloud account, and the other is being able to reuse their phone. The data on the phone is irrelevant as it will need to be deleted anyway to be set up again and there is no way to access that data even with a court order. It is the iCloud data stored on Apple servers where a request can be made, but that is not what you are looking for. I would emphasize that your intention is to just remove the Activation Lock on the deceased persons phone and maybe a Death Certificate is all that would be needed for that. We don't speak for Apple, just trying to help.

Request access to a deceased family member’s Apple Account - Apple Support


Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256360647