Death. The one thing that none of us can avoid. It’s coming for all of us and it’s the last thing that any of us will do, too. Surely, it is the last thing you really want to think about.
Do you know what else you probably don’t want to think about? What happens with your social media accounts when you pass? Yes, we’re talking about your words, pictures, and legacy.
For many people, social accounts become a place of memorial and remembrance. Visitors often stop by accounts of those who have passed away simply to share a memory or experience. Others use it for grieving or moving on. For whatever reason, your social media account is important, even after you’ve departed.
Facebook is still the largest network on the planet and things don’t look to change anytime soon. As such, the chances are very high that you’re signed up for an account. Whether you use it actively or just for logging into other apps and services, you probably have a Facebook profile. Do you have a Legacy Contact?
What is a Legacy Contact?
Facebook has an option tucked away in its settings which let you decide what happens with your account should you die. Called the Legacy Contact, it’s where you choose a family member or friend who can manage your account when you pass away.
What Can a Legacy Contact Do?
Once someone notifies Facebook that you’ve passed away, it will memorialize the account and the legacy contact can do a number of things. For instance, they might want to write a post at the top of the timeline, update the profile picture, or respond to friend requests.
Another key feature of the legacy contact is the ability to download an archive of photos, posts, and profile information shared on Facebook. There are a lot of options available to the legacy contact, but one thing they cannot do is log on as you or see your private messages.
Ultimately, it’s truly up to you what happens to your Facebook account once you pass away. If you want, you can have Facebook delete your account altogether. But, if you want to create a Legacy Contact, it’s pretty easy to do. We’ll show you how to do it from your mobile app.
How to Create a Legacy Contact for Facebook
- In the app, open up the main menu; it looks like three horizontal lines and is in the top right corner.
- Under Settings & Privacy, tap on Settings
- Under Account Settings, tap on Personal Information
- Tap on Manage Account and follow the prompts to activate and add an account.
Should you wish, you can remove the Legacy Contact at a later date. Additionally, you have to remove them if you decide that you would rather have Facebook delete your account.