A digital will, in the everyday sense, is how a person organises during their lifetime what should happen to their online accounts, data and content after death; only a legally valid will, prepared with a notary or estate professional, governs the estate itself. Hugete does not replace a legal will and is not a legal instrument: it is a foresight service that delivers the emotional legacy — letters, photos, videos and voice messages — on a chosen date or after death, through an inactivity check (HugVeille) confirmed by a trusted contact (HugGuard). The two are complementary: the notary for the estate, Hugete for the words.
A digital will refers to the arrangements a person makes during their lifetime to organise what happens to their digital life after death: online accounts, personal data, files, subscriptions — and also the messages and memories they want passed on. The term has entered everyday language, but it actually covers two very different worlds: what belongs to law and estate planning — the domain of the notary or estate attorney — and what belongs to the intimate — the words you want to leave to the people you love. This page looks honestly at both, and at where a service like Hugete fits: as a complement, never a substitute for a will.
What is a digital will?
A "digital will" is not a single, unified legal category: it is an everyday term for all the decisions made in advance about your digital legacy. A word of caution first: in some jurisdictions, an "electronic will" can be a specific legal instrument with formal requirements, while in many countries a will must follow strict traditional forms to be valid. What is legally recognised varies from country to country — which is exactly why estate matters belong with a professional. In practice, your digital legacy includes:
- Online accounts: email, social networks, cloud storage, streaming platforms, administrative accounts
- Data and files: photos, videos, documents and correspondence stored online or on devices
- Digital assets: cryptocurrencies, domain names, purchased content libraries, possible online income
- The intangible: the messages, memories and words you want to reach your loved ones
Whatever your country, one principle holds: a note typed on a computer or a message saved in an app does not, by itself, carry the legal force of a will. You can organise your digital transmission in advance — but the estate itself goes through the forms the law requires, and a notary or estate attorney remains the reference for everything that touches your assets.
What happens to my accounts and data after I die?
This is the question of "digital death". Without arrangements made in advance, a deceased person's accounts generally stay online: profiles remain visible, subscriptions keep being charged, and photos become inaccessible to relatives who don't have the passwords. Each platform applies its own rules — some offer memorialised profiles, others deletion upon a documented request from heirs, often through slow procedures.
Legal frameworks are emerging in many countries. In France, for instance, individuals can set directives on what should happen to their personal data after death — stating whether data should be kept, erased or shared, and naming someone to see those wishes carried out. Elsewhere, inheritance law, platform policies and data-protection rules combine in different ways, and heirs' rights over a deceased person's data vary widely. These frameworks evolve, and their application depends on your situation: the reflex is always the same — discuss it with your notary or estate professional, who can fit these wishes into your overall estate plan. This page describes the general landscape and is not legal advice.
One thing, however, is certain: neither data directives nor a will settles the question that follows.
What a will does not pass on
A will distributes property. It names heirs, protects a spouse, organises gifts. That is essential — and that is all it does. A will does not tell your son you were proud of him. It does not tell your grandchildren where their family comes from. It does not ask for forgiveness, declare a love, or carry the sound of your voice.
Yet that is precisely what those left behind miss the most. After a death, families find bank statements and property deeds — rarely a letter. The important words often remain unsaid, or scattered across inboxes no one will ever be able to open. This is what we call the emotional legacy: everything that matters and appears in no legal inventory. A posthumous message — a letter, a video, a voice recording — fills exactly that gap, and it is prepared during your lifetime, calmly, like everything else. We wrote a dedicated article on this: passing on the words that matter.
Legal will vs Hugete: who does what?
Let's be perfectly clear, because any confusion here would be dishonest: Hugete is not a will, has no legal force and in no way replaces a notary or an estate attorney. The two do not play in the same category — they complement each other.
| Legal will | Hugete | |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Legal instrument governed by law | Message transmission service |
| What is passed on | Assets, property, testamentary wishes | Letters, photos, videos, voice messages |
| Legal force | Yes, enforceable in the estate | None — it is not a legal instrument |
| Who you deal with | Notary or estate attorney | Yourself, online |
| Trigger | Opening of the estate | Chosen date, or inactivity check (HugVeille) |
| Reception | Formal estate proceedings | Private reception page (HugBox), no account needed |
| Cost | Regulated professional fees | Free, then €2.99 or €6.99/month |
Blockchain certification (HugCert), included in the Hug Eternal plan, timestamps a message and proves its integrity — useful to establish that a message existed on a given date and has not been altered since. But let's stay precise: this is technical evidence, not a legal deed. For anything that binds your estate, there is only one address: your notary or estate professional.
How do I prepare the transmission of my personal messages?
Once the legal side is in the right hands, passing on your words takes three steps:
- Write your messages (Hugz) — a letter, a video, a voice recording, photos. One message per person, or several: whatever you want them to read, hear or watch one day. You can edit them at any time until they are delivered.
- Choose the trigger — a fixed date (a birthday, a coming of age), or delivery after your death through the inactivity check (HugVeille): as long as you respond to the regular check-ins, nothing is sent. After a prolonged silence, your trusted contact (HugGuard) is asked to confirm the situation, with a 48-hour safety delay that rules out any accidental delivery.
- Name your loved ones (HugOnes) — when the time comes, each of them receives a link to their private reception page (HugBox), where they discover your message without creating an account or installing anything.
Your content is encrypted and hosted in Germany under the GDPR, and no one — not even our team — can access what you write: the full picture is on our security and privacy page. The free plan lets you prepare 2 posthumous messages for 2 loved ones; the Hug Essentiel (€2.99/month) and Hug Eternal (€6.99/month) plans extend messages, storage and certification — see our pricing and the full list of features.
Checklist: organising your digital foresight
For a complete transmission, four separate workstreams — each with the right tool:
- The will, with a professional: assets, estate, protection of a spouse, gifts. This is the legal foundation, and nothing replaces it.
- Directives on your personal data: what should happen to your accounts and data after your death (retention, erasure, a trusted person), where your country provides for it. Raise it with your notary or attorney.
- Passwords and access: use a password manager with an emergency-access feature for a trusted relative. Never scatter your credentials in letters or messages.
- Personal messages, with Hugete: letters, videos and memories delivered on a fixed date — like a digital time capsule — or after your death.
Each element has its rightful place: the professional secures your wishes, the password manager protects your access, Hugete carries your words. Together, they form your digital will in the fullest sense of the term. More questions? Our FAQ answers them in detail.
Frequently asked questions
Does Hugete have any legal force?
No. Hugete is not a will and produces no legal instrument: your messages have no testamentary value and cannot replace arrangements made with a notary or estate attorney. Blockchain certification (HugCert) provides technical evidence — it establishes that a message existed on a given date and has not been altered since — but it is not a legal deed. To organise your estate, distribute your assets or protect your loved ones, the right person remains an estate professional in your country.
Should I tell my notary or attorney that I use Hugete?
It is not required: Hugete works independently, and the delivery of your messages does not depend on your estate being opened. It is good practice, however, to mention it to your notary or estate attorney, as with any element of your personal organisation: they can ensure everything fits together and, if you wish, record the existence of your digital arrangements in your estate documents. Your messages themselves remain confidential in every case.
Who can access my messages while I am alive?
No one but you. Your messages are encrypted and hosted in Germany under the GDPR, and neither our team, nor your relatives, nor your trusted contact (HugGuard) can read their content. The HugGuard is only asked to confirm the situation if the inactivity check (HugVeille) expires — they never see your messages. Your recipients only gain access at the moment of delivery you have defined, never before.
How are my loved ones notified?
At the moment you have chosen — a fixed date, or delivery after death through the inactivity check (HugVeille) — each recipient receives an email and/or SMS with a personal link to their reception page (HugBox). There they discover your message, photos, videos or voice recordings, without creating an account or installing an app. Before that moment, your loved ones are told nothing, unless you choose to tell them yourself.
Can I pass on passwords with Hugete?
It is technically possible, but we advise against it. Passwords change and expire, and passing them on raises security questions and sometimes compliance issues with the platforms concerned. The right tool is a password manager with an emergency-access feature for a trusted relative. Hugete is built for something else: letters, memories, your voice — the emotional legacy that neither a will nor a password manager will ever transmit.