General Apple refuses grieving sons' request to unlock iPad that belonged to cancer victim mother

[FireCat]

A grieving son has accused Apple of having an 'utter lack of understanding and discretion' after the company refused to unlock his dead mother’s iPad - and asked for written permission from her.

Josh Grant, 26, from London, became the co-executor of his mother Anthea Grant’s will and estate with his brother Patrick when she passed away from breast cancer, aged 59, earlier this year.

He said his mother enjoyed playing games on the iPad after her husband died in 2010 and said she liked its raft of new security measures since updating to iOS7.

However, when the brothers contacted Apple following their mother’s death on January 19, they were told they would need 'written permission' from their mother to access the account.

On his blog, named Mustn’t Grumble, Josh wrote: ‘Unfortunately in her dying days she didn’t think to tell us her Apple ID password. Funnily enough, I think she had bigger things to worry about.

Read Moar Here.

 

[Slapshot136]

good for apple - a secure device is secured for a reason, and being able to bypass that makes it less secure, which also tends to make the security useless

not to say that there aren't any backdoors, but the fewer the better.

 

[FireCat]

they were told they would need 'written permission' from their mother to access the account.

Maybe he should hire a "A ghost writer?" Would that work?

 

[Snowbizzle]

good for apple - a secure device is secured for a reason, and being able to bypass that makes it less secure, which also tends to make the security useless

not to say that there aren't any backdoors, but the fewer the better.

My thoughts were pretty much: Why didn't he try to find the solution on the internet like a normal person? Surely there are people who could unlock this iPad who are in no way affiliated with Apple. There's a lesson for the kids...never try to do things legally when the illegal alternative is as easy or easier.

 

[Varine]

It isn't new. Hotmail routinely refuses to grant access to surviving families, and most of the time it becomes publicized someone will pop up offering to just hack it for free.