Hey everyone, my dad passed away in December, and I want to make sure we save the photos stored on his phone before we wipe it clean. Unfortunately, we don't have access to any Apple account he might have used. We don't know the password or have access to the email address associated with it. Is there an easy way to back up these photos, maybe using Google Drive or something similar?
4 Answers
You can try to recover his Apple Account by following the guidance from this support document: [Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102431). However, if the phone is locked, gaining access is pretty much impossible without that account. If he had iCloud Photos enabled or backups turned on, you might be able to retrieve the photos. But if neither of those situations applies, the photos might unfortunately be lost. It's a tough situation, and I’m really sorry for your loss.
Just a thought—why can’t you connect the phone to a computer and transfer the photos directly? That used to work for me with previous phones. Make sure to check that option; it might still be a valid method!
Honestly, I haven’t tried that in ages, and last time I did with my Samsung, it wouldn’t let me. But if it’s a viable option, I’m definitely going to give it a shot!
Have you thought about checking if he had a PC that was ever logged into his Apple account? That might help you get around accessing the phone without needing the account info directly. If not, it could be a bit tricky, but it's worth a shot!
He didn’t have one. We actually had his laptop, but the email he used was through his internet provider, and it’s been disconnected.
If your dad didn’t set up a legacy contact, sadly, you might be out of luck accessing his phone. It's a security feature Apple has, but it can be tough for situations like this. If the phone is locked, you won't be able to access it without the Apple account credentials.
I appreciate your help, but let’s not call my dad careless. He did his best. We can unlock the phone, but we just can't access his email anymore.