Apple Refuses To Unlock Bequeathed iPad

mrspoonsi writes "A man whose mother bequeathed her iPad to her family in her will says Apple's security rules are too restrictive. Since her death, they have been unable to unlock the device, despite providing Apple with copies of her will, death certificate and solicitor's letter. After her death, they discovered they did not know her Apple ID and password, but were asked to provide written consent for the device to be unlocked. Mr Grant said: 'We obviously couldn't get written permission because mum had died. So my brother has been back and forth with Apple, they're asking for some kind of proof that he can have the iPad. We've provided the death certificate, will and solicitor's letter but it wasn't enough. They've now asked for a court order to prove that mum was the owner of the iPad and the iTunes account.'"

Re:Why do they need to unlock it?

[puto]

That is like saying my mother passed and while she bequeathed me her possessions she didnt explicitly say what I was left in her safety deposit box, so I only get the box and the bank gets the rest. Even if they do reset it that IPAD is going to be linked to their mothers .me/Icloud account and and so any imessages or Apple specific services that the heirs want to use, will be linked to their mothers account, and therefore not usable. Because unless it is removed from the moms account, they cannot link it with their own. So, they cannot have full use of it without access to the account/device.

Pretexting

[mysidia]

Get access to the e-mail address, then use the normal password reset process, to change the dead person's password..... Or if you think you know the e-mail address and probable answers to security questions: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT... [apple.com] Or... call apple support, tell them you can't access your iTunes account anymore and you lost access to your e-mail. Answer various questions about the account as the diseased would. Make sure you have access to the last 4 digits of credit card numbers, billing addresses, etc.

Make note of the security question options such as:

In what city did your parents meet?
What is the first name of your best friend in High School?
What is the last name of your favorite elementary school teacher?
What is your dream job?
What is your favorite children's book?
What was the first album that you purchased?
What was the first film you saw in the theatre?
What was the first name of your first boss?
What was the first thing you learned to cook?
What was the model of your first car?
What was the name of the first beach you visited?
What was the name of your first pet?
What was your childhood nickname?
Where did you go the first time you flew in a plane?
Where were you on January 1, 2000?
Who was your favorite film star or character in school?
Who was your favorite singer or band in high school?
Who was your favorite teacher?
Wnat is the name of your favorite sports team?

Re:Good.

[firex726]

Hell, make it simpler, if someone leaves me their computer, does the drive need to be wiped and all the programs and OS repurchased, even if they came with the computer?

Re:executor's request plus will should be enough

[vandelais]

They didn't get an appointment, probably because there's no substantial assets (real estate, automobile) subject to probate or they got around probate with those other assets using joint ownership.

The will shows who the deceased at one point in time said should have the rights to the property.
The problem the children have is the will is not in force unless a court says it is .
There could be multiple wills. They all start "Last will and testament". People step forward on frequent occasion with an updated will or contestation of a singular will. A court sorts this out. That is why the uniform commercial code says that proof of executorship/administration, even when issued by the court, be accepted if dated within 60 days. In this way, the person or entity accepting the authority of the court from that document be held without blame according to safe harbor provisions.

Re:They're stalling

[Paradise Pete]

This is why I don't own any Apple products, no respect for users.

Seems like they are showing the utmost respect for the owner. It contains private data. If she had wanted to be sure the family got the device and the data she'd have included the password. Most likely she "bequeathed" it because the relatives got everything she owned, not that the device was mentioned specifically.

Re:Disguisting!

[immaterial]

It's not Apple's property that is being protected by this dead lady's password - it's the dead lady's device, data, and property. The whole issue wouldn't exist if she'd thought to pass along the keys with her property; unfortunately she didn't. The manufacturer can give the family a new set of keys, but requires evidence of ownership from a court of law before handing them over. Do you really want companies to hand over the keys to YOUR data and devices to someone else WITHOUT a court order?

Re:They're stalling

[Anonymous Coward]

How about a house analogy. Your mom bought a house with high security locks and the only key she had with her is sitting on the bottom of a river bank because she committed suicide by jumping off a bridge because she couldn't deal with the shame of her son being a douchebag brain dead right winger.

The only locksmithing company that can open the lock, won't do it unless all the contents of the house are destroyed first, otherwise it won't be keeping the contents of the house secure despite all the documents you present that you are now the rightful next of kin and are entitled to receive all property that has belonged to your mother.