Google Play Services Links Phone Numbers to Every Google Account on Android Devices Without a Prompt

Google Play Services is verifying the phone number on Android devices and attaching it to every Google account signed in on the same phone, according to a user report posted on Reddit. The user says the verification happens automatically, without a warning or a consent prompt.

The behavior matters most for people who keep separate Google accounts on one device. A common setup includes a personal account, a work account, and sometimes an anonymous account that is meant to stay unconnected to the owner's identity.

Once the same phone number is attached to all of them, that shared number creates a link showing the accounts belong to one person. The link does not make data from one account visible inside another.

The concern is the association itself, which the account owner did not explicitly approve. The Reddit user also says the same thing happened on a device running GrapheneOS, which shows the linking is tied to Google Play Services rather than to the stock software of one phone maker.

Google has not publicly explained why Play Services verifies and links numbers this way, and it has not said when the behavior started.

How to Stop Google Play Services Phone Number Verification

Android users can turn off the automatic verification and then remove numbers that were already added. The process has to be repeated for each Google account on the device, which takes some time for anyone with three or more accounts.

1. Open the Settings app on the Android phone and tap Google.
2. Select All services, then open Privacy & security.
3. Open Phone number verification and turn off the automatic option.
4. Open the Google Account settings and go to Personal info.
5. Select Phone and review the numbers stored for that account.
6. Delete any number that should not be connected to that account.
7. Switch to the next Google account and repeat steps 4 to 6.

Turning off the toggle is meant to prevent future automatic verification. It does not remove numbers that are already stored, which is why the Personal info check is needed for every account, including work or secondary accounts that are rarely opened.

Removing a phone number has a trade-off. An account without a stored number relies on its other recovery options, so users who delete the number from their main account should confirm that a backup recovery method is in place first.

Accounts that were meant to stay separate from the owner's identity are the ones where removing the number matters most. The report comes from a single user, and Google has not confirmed which Android versions, Play Services releases, or devices are affected.

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☞ El artículo completo original de Arthur Kay lo puedes ver aquí