In the event of your passing, there are a few things that can be done with your Google account:
- Inactive Account Manager: You can set up Google’s Inactive Account Manager to specify what happens to your account and data if it becomes inactive for a certain period of time. This can include sending notifications to designated contacts and automatically deleting or saving your data.
- Executor of the estate: If you have designated an executor of your estate, they can access your Google account as part of the process of settling your estate. They will need to provide a death certificate and a legal document to prove their authority.
- Data & Personalization settings: You can set up data & personalization settings to choose what happens to your account and data, such as your Gmail, Drive, and photos, after you pass away. You can choose to have your data deleted after a certain period of inactivity or to have it passed on to a specific person.
- Google’s policy is to close the account of a deceased person, but if an authorized person requests for the account to be memorialized it will be done, keeping the account in a read-only mode, and disabling functionality such as sending or receiving email.
It’s important to note that regardless of the options you choose, it will be necessary for an authorized party to provide proof of your death and proof of their authority to access or manage your account.