Despite being provided with copies of a will, death certificate and solicitor’s letter, Apple has asked for a court order so it can unlock an iPad a mother bequeathed to her family, the woman’s son said.
Josh Grant (26), from London, told BBC Radio 4’s You & Yours programme his mother, Anthea Grant, bought the tablet during her cancer treatment, BBC News Online reported. She used it mostly to play puzzle games and to make video calls.
She died on 19 January, leaving her estate to her five sons in her will. The brothers decided Patrick, the eldest, should have the iPad.
Not knowing Anthea’s Apple ID and password, they were asked to provide written consent for the tablet to be unlocked.
Josh said his brother has been in contact with Apple, which is asking for some kind of proof that he can have the iPad.
“We’ve provided the death certificate, will and solicitor’s letter but it wasn’t enough,” BBC News Online reported Josh as having said. “They’ve now asked for a court order to prove that mum was the owner of the iPad and the iTunes account.”
Josh added that the case will now have to go through the brothers’ solicitor. “He charges stg£200 an hour so it’s a bit of a false economy.”
Apple has said its security measures help its customers protect lost or stolen devices, and are designed to prevent unauthorised access to their online iCloud accounts, which could contain personal content.
Despite the struggle with Apple, Josh said he is a fan of the consumer tech giant.
“Their security measures are great but we have provided so much evidence,” Josh said of his case.
“At 59, my mum was fairly young. I’ve already lost my dad and it’s a bit cold of them not to treat things on a case-by-case basis.”
