According to Android Authority, cited by RBC-Ukraine, Google is automatically linking users' phone numbers to all accounts registered on an Android device without explicit request or confirmation from the owner. The 'Phone number verification' feature operates in the background and, as users note, is activated by default on most modern Android smartphones. Developers did not publicly announce this policy change — a notification regarding the automatic enablement of the option appeared only in Google support documentation, making the update virtually unnoticeable to the mass audience.
How automatic linking works
According to the feature description, the Phone number verification system links the SIM card installed in the device to all existing Google accounts on it. This applies not only to the primary profile, but also to work profiles, secondary accounts, and anonymous accounts that users purposely create to separate personal and professional digital activity. As a result, the exact same phone number ends up linked to multiple profiles, undermining the logic of their initial separation.
How users discovered the change
Owners of Android devices were the first to report the issue after receiving system notifications from [email protected]. The messages stated that the phone number was 'successfully verified' and linked to the account, even though the user took no action to trigger it. A separate group of users also notes that after manually disabling the verification toggle in the settings, the feature re-enables itself after some time, making the issue more persistent than it initially appeared.
Privacy risks
This silent consolidation of numbers creates specific risks for those who consciously separate their main number from secondary accounts. Anonymous and work profiles, originally created for data isolation, effectively lose that isolation because linking the number allows activity across different profiles to be tied to a single physical device and owner. For journalists, activists, and anyone using multiple accounts to protect their privacy, this system behavior represents a significant degradation of control over their own data.
How to unlink your number and prevent further data collection
To stop automatic linking, users must go to their smartphone settings and disable the respective number verification toggle. However, as sources emphasize, this action only prevents future linking attempts. If Google has already added the number to other accounts, it must be removed manually: to do this, go to the 'Personal info' web page in the settings of each relevant Google account and delete the linked number manually. There is no automated bulk-unlinking mechanism in the service interface.
Context: The policy of 'quiet' changes
The Phone number verification case fits into a broader pattern where major tech companies modify personal data processing terms via updates to support documentation, bypassing loud announcements and direct in-interface notifications. For the user, this means actual consent to data processing may be formed not at the moment of explicit choice, but at the moment of system installation or update. With Android remaining one of the most widespread mobile platforms globally, such changes affect hundreds of millions of people and underline the importance of regular privacy settings audits on one's own device.
