Google may add your number to all your accounts: How to stop it

As Android Central reports , users have received unexpected emails telling them their phone number has been verified for secondary Google accounts. Like me and many others, you may have one Google account for everyday use, another for work, and a third for things you would rather keep separate. But if you’re using an Android phone, those accounts may have something in common that you didn’t intend or even know about: your phone number. Google’s own documentation confirms that phone number verification is on by default and adds your number to all Google accounts signed in on the device. This applies to both existing accounts and any you add later. Google says phone number verification helps support features such as signing in, account recovery, Rich Communications Services (RCS) messaging, and finding or securing a lost device. But it also means that a number you intended to use with your main account can become associated with a secondary account simply because both are signed in on the same Android device. If you deliberately left your phone number off a secondary account, this links it to your real identity without you knowingly making that connection. Your number doesn’t automatically become public, but Google gains another way to connect accounts you wanted to keep separate. This reminded me of an article I wrote about unexpected Google account connections: “ Google Play sign-ins can be abused to track another person’s movements .” Signing in to Google Play on one phone allowed me to see its movements in Google Maps Timeline. “After some digging I learned that my Google account was added to my wife’s phone’s accounts when I logged in on the Play Store, but was not removed when I logged out after noticing the tracking issue.” While that particular issue should be solved by Google’s move toward device-based Timeline storage, unwanted phone number associations need to be removed manually. How to remove your number from separate accounts Phone manufacturers arrange their settings differently, so there may be some differences in menu names and locations. We tried to make sure everyone can follow these instructions, but there might be makes and models where you get stuck. Feel free to ask in the comments and maybe others with the same phone can help you. Step 1: Turn off automatic phone number verification This needs to be done on the Android phone itself: Open the phone’s Settings app. Tap Google . On some phones, this may be called Google services or Google services and preferences . Open All services . Under Privacy & security , tap Phone number verification . Turn off Verify phone numbers automatically , or the equivalent verification switch shown on your phone. Turning this off does not remove numbers already added to your accounts. Step 2: Check which accounts already have your number This step can be done in a browser, so should be the same for everyone. Open a browser and type myaccount.google.com into the address bar. Check the account picture or initial in the top-right corner. Make sure you are looking at the account you want to inspect. Select Personal info . Find Contact info , then select Phone . Depending on the layout, you may see Phone directly. Select any number listed to review its details and how it is used. To remove the number from that account, select the delete icon and follow the on-screen instructions. Repeat for each account you want to check. Step 3: Check for other uses of the number There’s a wrinkle. Google says changing a number in your Google Account only affects some services. Other services, such as 2-Step Verification , may use the number separately and may not all appear on the Phone page. On each account you are cleaning up: Check the number’s Usage section on the Phone page to see which services are listed. Visit Security or Security & sign-in and review your recovery phone and 2-Step Verification settings. If you use another Google service that has its own phone number settings, check those settings too. If your goal is to remove the number entirely from a particular account, don’t assume deleting it from Personal info has removed every separate use. Check those security settings as well, but make sure to keep a working alternative sign-in and recovery method before removing the number. Android Central reports that some users say automatic verification switches itself back on after they disable it. Those are user reports, not confirmation that this happens on every phone. But if you’re concerned, check the setting again later. Scammers know more about you than you think. Malwarebytes Mobile Security protects you from phishing , scam texts, malicious sites, and more. With real-time AI-powered Scam Guard built right in. About the author Was a Microsoft MVP in consumer security for 12 years running. Can speak four languages. Smells of rich mahogany and leather-bound books.