How to Preserve Google Photos After You Die
Death is a scary topic that almost no one ever wants to discuss. However, it’s inevitable, and when the time arrives, everyone has no choice but to bow to the demands. When the bell rings for you, your family and friends may not remember that you had a Google account and what’s inside.
That’s why it’s essential to plan what happens to your sensitive information on Google, the vital documents on Drive, or the timeless photos of cherished family moments. Think of digital legacy services to help you sort this out.
About Google Photos
Your Google account contains more than just your search history. Google collects a lot of information from you and offers ample storage for important documents, photos, and sometimes, sensitive financial information.
While it may seem trivial for you, these documents and information can be beneficial to the family. You may want to leave them to someone who can take care of them conscientiously.
Thankfully, Google has a service that allows you to decide what happens to your account and its contents when it becomes inactive.
What Does Google Do With Your Data After You Die?
Well, Facebook and Google will continue keeping the details and information you share with them. However, Google gives you the opportunity of choosing how you want the info handled after your departure.
If you prefer, you can set up an Inactive Account Manager. It’s a tool that enables you to decide whether Google should shut down your account after an extended period of inactivity or share important information and documents with a trustee.
If you choose to shut up your account after a long period of inactivity, let’s say three months, six months, or a year, Google will delete everything under your name on their servers. These include all the data you shared with the public, your blog posts on Blogger, and your YouTube videos.
How To Preserve Google Photos After You Die
Google gives you two options of keeping your history alive while you are no more. First, you can request the company to transfer the documents to a trustee or leave your login details to your kin.
Transferring Data to a Trustee
This can apply even if you want to retrieve information from a family member who never activated the service. Call Google, inform them that your kin is deceased, and present proof of their death. If they are satisfied, they will release some information, including all the documents and photos in Drive. However, you won’t access the deceased’s account.
Similarly, you can set one or more trustees as admins of your data when, God forbid, you breathe your last. When the worst happens, and Google detects that your account is inactive, the company notifies your trustee(s) with a polite, concise message informing them of your intentions, the kind of data they can access, and a link to download the data. Again, they won’t access your account or inbox.
You also decide whether your account should stay active afterward or if Google should terminate it.
Sharing Your Login Information with a Trustee
If for any reason, you want to keep your Google accounts active after your demise, you can share your login details with a trustee. You can keep the details in a text file so the right individual can find and use them to take care of the accounts or use tools such as KeePass Password Manager.
Your life may end on earth, but the memories you created in the hearts of your friends, family, and those you interacted with live forever. Give them the joy of treasuring the golden moments through magnificent photos in your Google account.
