Apple Inc. has been accused by a grieving son of an "utter lack of understanding and discretion" after the company refused to unlock the iPad of his late mother.
Anthea Grant passed away from breast cancer earlier this year at the age of 59, according to Daily Mail. Her son, Josh, 26, from London, became the co-executor of Anthea's will and estate with his brother, Patrick.
The brothers said their mother used her iPad for fun during her treatment, playing puzzle games in front of the television, the Independent reported. Josh said she updated her iPad with the new iOS7 operating system and was "enjoying the raft of new security measures" in the weeks before her death on Jan. 19.
The brothers realized after the funeral that their mother did not tell them her Apple ID password, the Telegraph reported.
"Funny enough, I think she had bigger things to worry about," Josh wrote on his computer blog. "Patrick and I were named co-executers of the will and found ourselves responsible for mum's estate. A tiny piece of that estate is her iPad, which my brothers and I agreed could go to Patrick."
After trying to restore the factory settings on the iPad, the brothers were told by Apple that they needed written permission from their mother, according to the Telegraph. The brother told Apple that their mother had passed away, but the company asked for a copy of her death certificate, will and a letter from their solicitor.
The company made more demands after receiving the extra information, asking for a court order to unlock the device, citing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, Daily Mail reported. Josh said the court order could cost hundreds of pounds and that he was disappointed with the way Apple handled this issue.
"I have always been a fan of Apple but this incident has changed my opinion of them completely," John said on his blog. "Their utter lack of understanding and discretion in a time of great personal sadness has been astonishing. For a company that sells itself on the idea we are all part of one big Apple family, they have been very cold."
Apple said the problem with Patrick asking for his mother's Apple ID password was that it can't be released without a court order, Daily Mail reported. The company said that the issue was taken care of after they confirmed that Patrick wanted to use the device for himself, not to access Apple ID protected files. Apple said that they then could turn off the Activation Lock security feature, which only needs a copy of the death certificate and a legal document that confirmed the right to transfer the deceased's property.
