It may be easier to transfer property after the death of a spouse than access an Apple ID.
Canadian widow Peggy Bush shared an iPad with her late husband and, unfortunately, she did not know her husband's Apple ID. She liked to play a card game on the iPad but is now facing some strict policies.
When she began having problems with the game her family decided to try reinstalling the game and her daughter called Apple. She was initially told she would need to produce her father's will and death certificate to get the password. When those were procured, Apple still refused to help.
Many phone calls later the family was told by Apple that they would need to get a court order for Apple to give them the password.
CBC News reported this story in "Apple demands widow get court order to access dead husband's password."
This is becoming a very common problem, and not just with Apple. Tech companies each have their own policy concerning when they will allow access to a deceased person's account. Despite the often express wishes of the deceased some companies will never allow access to accounts without a court order.
With business and financial transactions increasingly taking place online executors and family members often need account access to handle the estate.
State legislators across the county are attempting to come up with a solution to this problem.
The best practice may be to work with an estate planning attorney to make sure the executor of your estate has a way to learn your account passwords.
Reference: CBC News (Jan. 18, 2016) "Apple demands widow get court order to access dead husband's password."