Canadian widow Peggy Bush received a lot of attention because of the story that she could not get Apple to give up her husband's password. Apple apparently did not like the publicity.
You might have heard the story of Peggy Bush, since a lot has been written about her. It is a rather odd tale and not great public relations for Apple.
After her husband passed away, Bush inherited the iPad the two of them shared. She liked to play a card game on it. When that game suddenly stopped working, her children suggested that she delete it and try to reinstall it.
Unfortunately, to reinstall the game she was asked to supply her late husband's Apple password, which she did not know.
When her daughter called Apple, she was told that the family would need to provide a death certificate and a copy of the will. They did that, but Apple still refused to tell them the password.
After two months of getting the run around, Peggy Bush was told that Apple would only give her the password if she got a court order.
There is, however, good news as reported by Fox News in an article entitled "Widow wins battle with Apple over deceased husband's password."
After being contacted by the media, Apple changed its mind and is working with the family.
Peggy Bush's story has a happy ending, but Apple still has not changed its policy.
Other people who do not have support from the media, might not be so lucky in getting Apple to work with them and provide the passwords of deceased loved ones.
For this reason, it is advisable that you make turning over your passwords part of your estate plan. Make sure the executor of your estate can easily find your passwords he or she can make sure those who need them have them.
Reference: Fox News (Jan. 20, 2016) "Widow wins battle with Apple over deceased husband's password."