Google now automatically verifies and attaches your phone number to every Google account signed in on your Android device, and it does so without an explicit confirmation prompt. Google updated its support documentation between August and October 2025 to reflect this opt-out behavior, which links numbers across secondary, work, and alternate profiles. Users are only now discovering the change, which was not an opt-out feature before.
The feature, known in Google settings as "Phone number verification," connects your active phone number to all Google accounts on the same phone, including throwaway handles. A Reddit thread prompted reports from users who received confirmation emails from "noreply-phone-verification@google.com" saying their number had been verified. Android Authority has not seen these emails in its own inboxes, but several of its colleagues found the auto-verification toggle enabled on their devices.
For users who want to keep their number separate from secondary accounts, the fix is to open Settings, tap Google, switch to the All Services tab, and under Privacy & Security, toggle off "Verify phone numbers automatically." This only prevents future linking. Numbers already attached must be removed manually from each account's Personal Info page under Contact info > Phone.
Some Reddit users say the setting re-enables itself, but Android Authority could not replicate this and found the setting stayed off. Google has been asked for a statement, and the outlet will update the story when it responds.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing