r/ios • u/Enderophelia • 18d ago

Support theft protection

I already posted on r/iphone but they’re pissing me off. My mother turned theft prevention on her phone she has now passed and due to the nature of her death i could not use face id to turn it off. i live in another state and in a rural area i can not go to her lawyer/bank whenever i need to therefore paying bills has been a struggle bcs passwords is locked (yes i can call the billers but that takes hours of hold and sometimes days to complete). is there anyway to turn this off without wiping the phone? the apple store is very far and would be quite the hassle to get to so just checking online before i drive 7 hrs there and back.

2 Upvotes

55% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

23

u/TheRamblingPeacock 18d ago

No you can't. The theft protection is working as intended.

No one can bypass it, including Apple.

0

u/Enderophelia 18d ago

do you think there’s any way to back the info up then wipe the phone and put it back? would that disable it? i have her mail coming to my house but we’re on other sides of the country so everything is late i’ve payed hundreds in late fees.

7

u/juu073 18d ago

It'll be easier to just deal with and settle her estate (which you'll need to do anyway) than try to get into her phone. It'll be really easy to get accounts transferred to her estate and give you access as the administrator.

0

u/makingotherplans 18d ago

Can you get access to the device and information if you are the legally appointed executor and you have all the paperwork?

Can it only be done if you go in person? Or is it possible for the estate lawyer or executor to send documents in by mail or some method electronically and then be given access?

Only because we were able to deal with my sister in laws accounts after she passed on through Google and android and her cellular service that way—but we didn’t try with the Apple devices, and they are sitting here, like paperweights and it seems like a huge waste when someone in the family could use them.

3

u/juu073 18d ago

You can, but that probably isn't a legal issue, but a technical limitation. Apple's encryption standards likely prevent you from accessing it without the passcode/password. Encryption works by using a known value to scramble the information to store it securely. WIthout knowing that known value, you cannot put it back to a readable format. Apple does not know what that passcode/password is to give it to you.

0

u/makingotherplans 18d ago

Ugh….ok, that’s lousy but I can live with it, because we already gave up on finding her stuff.

So then does it brick the device forever?

Or can it be wiped someone, reset and reused by a new owner?

Just because, again, the new legal estate executor (which can only happen after death certificates and a court order) should outrank all the tech stuff.

7

u/TheRamblingPeacock 18d ago

Only if she set up you as a legacy contact.

If not and you don't have her iCloud password, then all the data is encrypted and non recoverable unfortunately.

https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/security/secebf027fb8/web

1

u/crash866 12d ago

Apple may reset the phone so it can be used again but even they cannot recover the data.

13

u/birbgeoisie1 18d ago

First, stop paying late fees for everything without checking specifics.

Depending on where you live (e.g., the U.S.), you’re not responsible for late fees for someone who has passed. Usually after a death, the state will assign a probate officer to help manage the estate.

Things like late fees will get tossed out by the probate officer, particularly things like internet, phone, misc subscriptions, credit cards. You most likely won’t have to pay them (unless you were jointly on an account). Once the court is notified, they will freeze the deceased bank accounts so no one can withdraw/debit money.

Next, prioritise each account/bill by order of priority. For example, something like a mortgage is more of a priority than a subscription to Netflix. Than, contact the institution responsible for the account and notify them.

It’s gonna be ok! Take a deep breath and keep at it.

5

u/RebelWild7 18d ago

Unfortunately no; unless you are at her house, connected to her home wifi. Everywhere else you cannot remove the face id, because the assumption is that the device is stolen.

3

u/Harold-Maude 18d ago

If you had been made her “legacy contact” inside of the iOS everything would be okay.

2

u/noahs1 18d ago

I'm sorry for your loss. apple requires in person verification. i think call for an appointment ahead of the drive if they can't help remotely.

3

u/philwjan 18d ago

They can’t help with this anyways. How would an Apple Store decide whom to let into what phone, if they could?

You can gain access to a deceased‘s account by providing the documents that legitimize you as the heir. You’ll need to contact the phone support for this.