Almost everything we do nowadays takes place online, notably on our Google Accounts. You may be pretty close to the individuals in the images, videos, and even emails we send to others, and you don’t want all of that to be lost after your death. Google is aware of this and has prepared you for the worst by allowing a loved one, such as a family member or friend, to access your account and retrieve some of your data.
Thanks to Google’s Inactive Account Manager, users can share certain bits of their data with trusted family members or friends. This occurs when the account has been dormant for a period of time. Alternatively, a person can decide to ensure that all of their data is totally erased when they die. This article will show you how to set up and use Google’s Inactive Account Management.
What Exactly Is Google’s Inactive Account Manager?
Using the Inactive Account Manager, users can notify someone if they have been inactive for a predetermined amount of time or share specific account details.
It is possible to configure it in the account settings for all users. Google says Google’s help page states that
It examines a variety of signals to identify whether or not you are logged into your account. Your most recent sign-ins, My Activities activity, Gmail usage (such as using the Gmail app on your phone), and Android check-ins are included.
If you haven’t planned for what happens when an account goes dormant, Google will delete all of the information. You can specify how long the account will be considered inactive on Google. This could be three months, six months, a year, or even eighteen months. Google also mentions that, regardless of the time period selected, it will contact a customer two months before it expires.
That information can be accessed by a “trusted contact” you choose. According to Google, users will be required to enter a phone number for that trusted contact. According to this metric, only the “trusted contact” can “really get your info.” You can also specify which Google data the trusted contact should have access to and supply their email address. Remember that, in addition to Gmail and Google Photos, Google offers a wide range of other goods. Giving your loved one a lot of useless information may be a bad decision.
Trusted contacts will be notified once your account has been inactive for the specified amount of time. They will not be told at any stage during the procedure’s development. When Google gives them the data, they can also choose an email with a personalized message to send to someone they trust. According to Google’s page, the email will include a footer explaining that you’ve requested Google to send an email on your behalf after you’ve discontinued using your account. The email will also offer a link to all of the shared data that they can download.
How Is The Inactive Account Functionality Set Up?
To enable the functionality, go to Gmail and click the Manage your Google Account button just over your account profile image. Scroll down to the Data & Privacy tab.
There should be a More Options button. One of the options is to make a plan for your digital legacy, which is followed by the command to plan what happens to your data next to it.
The configuration page for the Inactive Account Manager will now be displayed by Google. It is divided into three parts. Press the Start button. You can also receive email notifications when the Inactive Account Manager is activated.
In the first column, you can specify the amount of time before Google determines your account is inactive and the legacy plan begins. You can specify when Google will trigger the plan you set up if you haven’t used your Google Account for some time.
If you choose six months for the plan to take effect, Google will send repeated SMS and email reminders if the account is deemed inactive. This field must have your cell phone number, Gmail address, and recovery email address.
In the second part, Google will prompt you to Choose who to notify and what to share. Keep in mind that you can choose up to ten people for us to notify. They may also have access to some of your data. Include the email address of your trusted contact as well as the information they should have access to. When you add a contact, Google will show a new menu where you can choose which information to utilize.
There is also the question Should we terminate your Google Account if it becomes inactive? If you choose yes, the data will be deleted three months after the account is deactivated. After you’ve completed your strategy, you can go over it again.
What If Someone Died Without Contributing To This Strategy?
If the deceased person has not activated this plan, Google will not provide any data to any family members, according to the Google support page. In appropriate cases, we can collaborate with close family and representatives to close a deceased person’s account. In some situations, we may offer content from a deceased user’s account.
