How It Works: Things

Give Things Away Without Having a Will

Deathwishes is ideal for giving away things that are important or sentimental, like houseplants, heirlooms, and memory boxes. It is not intended for use with high-value items like legal services are.

Share What You Want to Pass On

Your Tool To Help Stuff Get Into the Right Hands

Who should get your family recipe book?

Your concert poster collection?

Your box of dirty secrets?

Deathwishes Things iPhone 17 Mockup How It Works

It’s easy to give things away after creating a Deathwishes account by adding a new thing and naming a recipient. 

  1. Visit Things in the bottom navigation
  2. Tap “Add a Thing”
  3. Give the Thing a title
  4. Add or name a recipient
  5. Optionally, add photos, details, and notes

You can give away anything you like, but remember that Deathwishes is not designed to be legally enforcable like a will or trust. It is recommend to use it for items that are sentimental or meaningful, rather than valuable.

Some of the most popular types of items people use Deathwishes for include:

  • Personal notes, letters, or instructions
  • Journals or diaries
  • Photo albums and memory books
  • Collectibles and toys
  • Houseplants
  • Books or personal libraries
  • Clothing
  • Family heirlooms
  • Music collections
  • Sports memorabilies
  • Artwork
  • Travel souvenirs
  • Kitchenware and cookware
  • Holiday decorations

You control who sees what you add to Things and when you want it to be visible (before or after you die).

Below are the default privacy permissions. You can toggle these in your settings at any time.

PermissionsFriendsLegacy Contacts
See Your ProfileYesYes
See Your PlansNoYes
See Your ThingsNoYes
See Your Bucket ListNoYes
Report Your DeathNoYes

Personalize with Your Own Details

name a recipient, add Photos, and Leave Notes

Provide instructions, pictures, and background details for the people you trust to take care of the stuff that matters most to you.

You can give things away to current Deathwishes users, or you can simply mention a name and rely on your loved ones to follow through on the rest.

You can give away an unlimited amount of things.

Yes, you can add multiple recipients to a single Thing, just be sure to leave instructions or notes to clarify how the shared ownership works.

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