DANDELION GUIDE: AFTER THE GOODBYE

Checking Technology

Check Their Tech: Phones, Tablets, Laptops

Our modern lives are ruled by technology. So much is documented and saved on our devices (phones, tablets, and laptops), in the cloud and on social media. Checking your loved one’s devices and accounts is essential.

✱ Before Diving In…

  • Preserve the device as-is. Keep it charged and avoid factory resets or deleting things.

  • Make a backup, if you have access: iCloud/Google Backup, local computer backup, or USB drive. This preserves photos, messages, voicemails, documents, and app data.

  • Document access problems. If there’s a passcode/lock, note it — don’t brute-force guess if you’re worried about wiping the device or getting locked out. Check whether they used biometrics (Face/Touch ID) that you can access lawfully.

  • Check for a digital will / executor instructions. These could be in notes, email, a password manager entry, or a photo of legal papers that say what to do.

✱ Legal, Privacy, and Safety Considerations

  • Trustee or Executor authority: If you are the trustee/executor/POA, you likely have the legal right to manage accounts; if not, check with the trustee/executor or an attorney before changing or deleting account data.

  • Don’t post or share personal messages publicly. Respect privacy — messages/photos may be sensitive.

  • Don’t broadcast sensitive content or private messages on social media.

  • Follow platform rules for memorializing or requesting account access. Many social platforms have specific processes.

  • Don’t assume you can change account settings without legal authority.

  • If you find potential criminal evidence or abuse, consult legal authorities or a lawyer before altering anything.

  • Don’t broadcast sensitive content or private messages on social media.

High-Value Things to Look For

    • Photos, videos, and albums.

    • Photos of important documents such as IDs, insurance cards, wills, financial statements, mortgage/loan docs, deeds.

    • Screenshots of receipts, tracking numbers, account info.

    • Photos of receipts, bills, and membership cards, helpful for claims and service cancellations.

    • Emergency contacts, attorneys, financial advisors, insurance agent, funeral director, trustee/executor, family members, employer, banks. (See also Family Sharing)

    • Any labels like “estate,” “power of attorney,” or vendor names.

    • SMS, iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, Facebook Messenger — look for funeral wishes, subscriptions, account info, or instructions.

    • Search in Messages for words like “will,” “insurance,” “password,” “funeral,” “wishes,” “bank,” “estate.”

    • Email apps often contain attachments, invoices, policy documents, and legal correspondence.

    • Check the email often for paperless bills and other important correspondence.

  • Funeral preferences, passwords written down, lists of accounts, personal letters, prepaid details, final wishes, audio messages.

    • Upcoming appointments that need to be canceled. 

    • Appointments with attorneys, doctors, funeral home, burial plots, prepaid services, subscription renewal dates.

  • Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive: look for PDFs of wills/trusts, mortgage papers, tax returns, life insurance policies, and estate documents.

  • Check apps (Robinhood, Vanguard, Bank apps, PayPal, Venmo) for account info and recent transactions.

  • Life insurance apps/emails, employer benefits, retirement accounts.

    • Password manager apps (LastPass, 1Password) or notes labeled with passwords. 

    • Saved passwords in browser settings.

    • Check the Notes app for a list of saved passwords.

  • Streaming, phone, utilities, memberships — regular charges you may need to cancel.

  • Saved addresses (home, vacation home, bank safe deposit), recent location history if relevant.

Practical Step-by-Step Workflow

  • Sit somewhere private with time set aside. Keep tissues nearby.

  • Plug the phone in. If unlocked, back it up immediately to iCloud/Google or a computer.

  • Quick scan for “urgent” items (IDs, insurance cards, funeral wishes, contact for attorney/funeral home). Save photos/documents into a single folder called “Important — DO NOT DELETE.”

  • Export photos, messages, and documents if possible — either to a cloud folder you control or an external drive. Make two copies if you can.

  • Make an inventory list including account name, username/email, phone number, location of password, if found, notes on what needs to be done (cancel, notify, claim).

  • Handle social accounts. Decide whether to memorialize, close, or keep. Check platform requirements. The trustee, executor or next of kin might need ID.

  • After you’ve backed everything up and completed necessary admin steps, change passwords and set two-factor authentication to a trusted contact only if closing accounts. Consult trustee/executor or attorney for closures requiring estate paperwork.

✱ Helpful Search Keywords

Try searching within apps for: will, insurance, deed, mortgage, estate, wishes, funeral, password, account, account number, policy, POA, attorney, trustee/executor, trust, bank, social security, birth certificate, obituary.

✱ How to Organize What You Find 

As you go through the device, organize any important files into the following corresponding folders names:

  • Important-Documents (IDs, wills, policies)

  • Accounts-and-Passwords (screenshots or files showing accounts)

  • Photos-and-Videos (create subfolders such as: Family / Documents / Legal)

  • Messages-and-Notes (exported chats or screenshots)

  • Actions-Needed (spreadsheet: who to call, what to cancel, deadlines)

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