Phone Number Verification

Google defaults Android phone-number verification to on across all signed-in accounts

Google has quietly changed Android behavior so a device's phone number is automatically verified and linked to every Google account signed in on it, including secondary, work, and throwaway accounts. Users discovered this after receiving unsolicited emails from a Google phone-verification address, and the change appears to have been made to Google's support documentation between August and October 2025. The setting can be disabled via Settings > Google > All Services > Privacy & Security > Phone number verification.

tech.slashdot.org · 2026-10-14

Google links phone numbers across all signed-in accounts by default

Android includes a phone number verification setting that is enabled by default, which associates a user's phone number with every Google account signed into that device. Users must manually opt out if they do not want their number linked across accounts.

androidauthority.com · 2026-10-14