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Google Links Phone Numbers to All Accounts
25 Oct
Summary
- Android phones now link SIM phone numbers to all signed-in Google accounts.
- This automatic verification started by default in September 2025.
- Disabling this feature may affect RCS chats and account recovery.
Since September 2025, Android phones have been automatically verifying and linking a user's SIM phone number to every Google account signed in on the device. This setting is enabled by default and applies to both existing and newly added accounts, as well as when SIM cards are changed.
Google states this verification is crucial for features such as account recovery, RCS messaging, enhanced sharing, and emergency location services. However, users are only recently being notified of this change through unprompted emails, causing some concern about privacy and data usage.
Users can opt out of automatic phone number verification through their phone's Google settings. Disabling this feature, however, means losing RCS chat capabilities in Google Messages, reverting to SMS, and potentially impacting swift account recovery processes.
Google maintains that it does not sell personal data, including phone numbers. Separately, in May 2026, Google began testing a policy in select regions to limit free cloud storage to 5GB for new accounts lacking a linked phone number, a reduction from the usual 15GB.
