Google May Be Linking Your Phone Number To Every Android Account, Even If You Never Asked

We tend to think of our phone number as something we share with apps and services when we choose to. But what if your Android phone has been adding it to multiple Google accounts on its own?

According to an Engadget report originally attributed to Android Authority, Android devices have been automatically verifying the SIM's phone number and attaching it to every Google account signed in on the device since September 2025. Read on to know more.

Google Has Been Automatically Verifying Phone Numbers On Android

The aforementioned report says that as per Google's support documentation, Android phones can automatically verify the phone number associated with a SIM during device setup and add it to Google accounts signed in on the device. The process applies to existing accounts as well as those added later.

As mentioned already, the change appears to have been introduced by default in September 2025. Android Authority reportedly found that Google's support documentation was updated between August and October that year to reflect the automatic verification setting. A Google Play services changelog dated September 8, 2025, also listed automatic phone number verification during setup.

However, some users are only now becoming aware of the feature after receiving emails from [email protected] informing them that their phone number has been verified.

The process does not stop with the SIM card used during the initial setup. If you add another Google account to the device later, it can also receive the verified number. Switching SIM cards can add the new number to the accounts signed in on the phone as well.

Google and mobile carriers also re-verify phone numbers periodically, a process that may incur carrier charges.

How To Stop Google From Automatically Verifying Your Phone Number

If you do not want your Android phone to keep automatically verifying your number, you can turn off the setting directly on the device.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on your Android phone.

2. Select Google and then All services.

3. Look for the Privacy & security section.

4. Tap Phone number verification.

5. Turn off Verify phone numbers automatically.

Depending on your phone, the Google section may instead be labelled Google services and preferences.

There is one important catch. Turning off automatic verification does not remove phone numbers that have already been linked to your Google accounts. You will need to remove those separately.

To do this, open your Google account settings, go to Personal info, select Phone, and remove the number. You may need to repeat these steps for each account on your device.