For a few hundred years there have been laws setting out how people make their wishes known when they die. They can either instruct a Solicitors firm to produce a Will or produce a homemade Will with a “DIY kit”. There is however now a new “modern” way…Video Wills… Yes there is now an iPhone app “Your Last Will” which once downloaded allows the user to create a last message which their loved ones can view once the user has died.
The user creates and uploads their “Video Will” which is issued with its own QR code (a barcode for smart phones) which is given to a trusted party (like an Executor who is informed of the existence of a Will) and upon death the QR code is used to send the video to all the intended recipients (which has been set out by the user at the time of creation).
Although this all sounds fantastic in theory and perhaps a bit space age, the company who have made the app openly admits that “in most countries video Wills cannot replace written Wills”. Therefore you may ask what is the point in making a Video Will if you still need a written Will as well. For an additional fee Your Last Will will submit your Video Will to be reviewed by legally trained individuals (now not quite as cheap as perhaps it first appeared). However I am sure that the legislation in England and Wales which is over two hundred years old was not designed with producing a film of yourself stating your wishes in mind, and even if it has been legally reviewed I’m not sure an English probate registry would be too pleased to be given a video to watch!
It is safe to say that this method will not be replacing the traditional hand written Wills any time soon, however it does perhaps give us an insight into how we may be making our final wishes known in the future. One thing in life is certain and that is death so perhaps it should be no surprise that tech companies are trying to muscle into the funeral industry and its related markets which are currently worth some two billion pounds in annual revenues.
In England only one in three people statistically make a Will and perhaps in the future this will be the answer to increasing this statistic although in the meantime a traditional Will is the best way to guarantee that your final wishes be expressed.