2024-10-06 13:30:00
We still don’t have a law on digital inheritance, whether it’s digital assets (like purchased movies and music) or all your content in the cloud (your iCloud library, your Gmail, or a large, monetized YouTube channel). It’s one thing if you have someone’s password, it’s another for you to inherit it or, at least, have the choice to facilitate access to people you trust.
I left aside the ethical and philosophical discussion about exercising the right to be left alone, to be forgotten, to give in to others’ longing or simply to pass on one’s “virtual heritage”. Today, just out of curiosity and without any desire to think about it, I brought some tools that facilitate this “data portability”.
Let’s get this over with before it gets any weirder.
Digital heritage (Google vs. Apple)
Google has an “Inactive Account Manager” in which you basically define how long your account will be considered inactive, for example, after three months of inactivity — but a notification is sent via email and SMS 1. Then, You can choose up to 10 people to be notified and each person can receive a copy of your data, customizing each choice of what to share individually from a list of 60 items ranging from the basics (contacts, calendar and reminders) to books, movies and basically everything that involves your Google account.
At no point is it clear during configuration whether this service is to be used posthumously. But during the above part of choosing people to share, you can add a message of up to 8,190 characters. But I also found in the Google Account help that “Inactive Account Manager is the best way for you to let us know who should have access to your information and whether you want your account deleted.”
To decide what to do with your digital legacy, Tap/click this link to open Google Inactive Account Manager.
Apple
Maçã calls the “Legacy Contact” the person you designate to receive your information after your “last logout”. You can do the initial configuration right now, using your iPhone:
- Go to Settings and tap your name.
- Tap “Sign in and Security”.
- Scroll down and select “Legacy Contact”.
- Now, just follow the instructions to configure and choose the person — who doesn’t even need to have a device or Apple Account, just be over 13 years old.
In practice, the way it works is very different from Google in several ways:
- On Google, just wait for the chosen period (3, 6, 12 or 18 months) and everything will be shared. In fact, you can download everything, but you don’t have access to the account itself.
- At Apple, you need to make an access request (via the same path you created or in this link), share the access key you generated when you chose the contact, and upload the death certificate.
Upon approval from Apple, the holder’s Apple Account will no longer function, Activation Lock will be removed from all devices, and you will receive a new Legacy Contact Apple Account to access at iCloud.com or on your own device. This new account has a limited time: three years from approval of the first legacy account request. After that, the account is permanently deleted.
With access, you will be able to view (but not delete) your iCloud Photos, as well as information in the Notes apps (Notes), Mail, Contacts (Contacts), Calendar (Calendar), Reminders (Reminders), Messages (Messages). Health (Health) and Recorder (Voice Memos). Additionally, you have access to your call history, iCloud Drive, Safari favorites, and iCloud backup — which may include more information depending on the app, such as your WhatsApp history.
You will not be able to access the following information from the Apple Legacy Contact:
- Licensed/purchased media (films, music and books);
- In-app purchases or subscriptions;
- Payment information, such as Apple Pay or saved cards;
- Passwords.
Clearly, the purposes are different — and I only brought the comparison between Google and Apple thinking about Android and iOS devices, without thinking about possible legal purposes of gaining access.
Do you already have someone in mind to receive your data? Or do you think it’s too early to think about it?
Bluesky meeting Koo
Following the obituary, the Bluesky network is in decline in Brazil. The application, which already had more than 200 thousand downloads per day, which was at the top of the App Store and which surpassed the 10 million users mark less than a month ago, today is not even in the 100 most downloaded free apps. In the “Social Networks” category of the App Store, it is behind Messenger and Discord.
Photo: You’ve already seen a similar phenomenon: the social network app Koo had its rise thanks to Brazil, which embraced the alternative to X (and the unusual name for us), but ended up closing its activities in July of this year. I don’t mean to say that Bluesky will no longer be used, or that it runs the risk of the same fate as the Indian social network — even based on the metrics mentioned above and the experience of its creator, I believe so. But I have one fear.
The website AppMagic shows that our country is responsible for 88% of Bluesky downloads in the last 30 days. With the back and forth of .
The social media landscape is volatile and public preferences can change at any time, whether due to innovation, trends or disappointment with changes to a platform. Brazil, in particular, has a propensity to embrace new networks, but also does not hesitate to abandon them.
Regardless of your preference and the resources available in each one, one thing is certain: social networks are living environments, and their success directly depends on how much they are able to offer continuous value to their users.
In the eyes of this writer, Bluesky should take more advantage of its opportunity to shine, before it fades away with time. But what we can do is just watch how this digital dance unfolds — after all, on the internet, nothing is definitive.
My favorite Apple Arcade games
Apple Arcade would fit well into the theme of the column so far, but changing the scene a little, I brought my three favorite games from the Apple service and some tips you gave on my networks.
One of the things I love most about the games below is being able to start and stop at any time. After all, you have your cell phone practically all the time, you can take a quick look at your game in a queue, in the bathroom or out of boredom.
Slay the Spire+
With over 100 hours played, it’s one of my favorites. It seems quite simple: control a warrior and attack, or defend yourself from opponents with cards. But there are 350 different cards, unique combats and a combination that can make you reach the top of the tower.
Balatro+
Also cards, but this one mixes poker with patience. As the rounds go by, you can improve your deck by adding wild cards or even transforming your current ones into different materials. For example, a glass card adds more points than regular cards, but has a 25% chance of breaking. If you enjoy poker, be warned: it’s addictive!
Oceanhorn 2
A beautiful RPG 2 to look at, full of missions, items and bosses to test your reflexes. There are more than 20 hours of gameplay, in addition to dozens of optional missions, which will provide you with good entertainment.
And you, do you like Apple Arcade? Which are your favorites?
Until next time Tech Mix!
Footnotes
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