How to stop Android adding your number to every Google account

Android phones may be sharing more than their owners expect. Engadget reported that, for more than a year, Android devices have tied the phone number on their SIM to every Google account signed in on the phone.

Google's own help page confirms the feature is switched on out of the box and that verified numbers get added to all Google accounts on the device. The setting can be switched off, but Engadget reported that numbers already attached stay put until each one is removed by hand.

Key facts

• Google says automatic phone number verification is on by default and links verified numbers to every Google account on the device.
• The feature has been enabled by default since September 2025, Engadget said.
• Work and secondary accounts are included, Engadget reported, citing Google's support documents.
• Turning the feature off does not remove numbers that are already linked, according to Engadget.
• Kaspersky says switching it off also costs users their RCS chats in Google Messages, Engadget reported.

Background

According to Engadget, Google's support documents say the phone checks its number on its own during setup and then attaches it to each account on the device, work and secondary accounts included. Google's help page says the linking covers both the accounts and numbers on the phone now and any added later.

Engadget said the default changed quietly. Android Authority found that Google rewrote its documentation sometime between August and October 2025 so that it described verification as enabled by default, Engadget reported. According to Engadget, a Sept. 8, 2025, changelog for Google Play services also describes number verification as something that runs on its own at setup.

Many people found out only when an email they had not asked for arrived from [email protected] telling them the number was now verified, Engadget reported.

Google says the verified numbers are not checked just once: Google and the user's carrier confirm them again from time to time, and the carrier may charge for that.

Google lists several features that depend on verification, such as Quick Share, RCS messages, finding a lost device, emergency location service, account recovery and signing in with a phone number.

Engadget said Google has given no reason for putting the number on every account. How many accounts have been linked this way is also not known.

What it means for you

If you have more than one Google account on an Android phone, such as a personal account and a work account, your phone number may now be attached to all of them. Google says this applies to every account signed in on the device, including ones added in the future.

There is a trade-off in turning the feature off. Google says verification supports features such as account recovery, emergency location service and finding a lost device. According to Engadget, Kaspersky warns that disabling it takes away RCS chats in Google Messages and pushes those conversations back to SMS.

Carrier charges may also apply when Google and the carrier recheck numbers, Google says.

Practical steps

Google says the only place to manage verification is the phone's own settings. Engadget reported these steps to stop the linking:

1. Open Settings on the Android phone and tap Google, then All services.
2. Under Privacy & security, tap Phone number verification.
3. Switch off the option to verify phone numbers automatically.

Turning verification off stops new links but does not undo old ones. To clear numbers already attached, Engadget reported that users must remove them in each account's Google settings under Personal info and then Phone.

1. Open each Google account's settings and go to Personal info, then Phone.
2. Remove any number you do not want tied to that account.
3. Repeat for every account signed in on the phone, including work and secondary accounts.

What happens next

Engadget said Google has not explained why the number is added to every account on the device.

For now, Google's help page still describes verification as on by default. Users who want their number on only some accounts need to turn the setting off and clean up each account on their own.

FAQ

Is automatic phone number verification on by default? Yes. Google's help page says it is on by default.

Since when has it been on by default? Engadget reported the default has been in place since September 2025.

Which accounts get the number? Google says verified numbers are added to every Google account signed in on the device, now and in the future.

Does turning it off remove numbers already linked? No. Engadget reported that existing numbers have to be deleted by hand in each account, under Personal info and then Phone.

What is lost by turning it off? Kaspersky says RCS chats in Google Messages fall back to SMS, Engadget reported. Google also ties features like account recovery and Quick Share to verification.

Can it cost money? Google says carrier charges may apply when numbers are reverified.