Google automatically attaches Android phone numbers to every signed-in Google account

Beginning in September 2025, Android devices automatically verify the SIM’s phone number and attach it to every Google account logged in on the device. Google’s support documentation claims the verification enables account recovery, RCS messaging, video calls, Quick Share and other functions, yet it does not explain why every account—including future and work profiles—must receive the number. The change appears in a Google Play services changelog and was later reflected in updated support pages, while users have only recently learned of it through unprompted emails from [email protected].

The linked number is periodically re-verified, may incur carrier charges, and can be toggled only via the phone’s settings; numbers already attached must be removed manually per account. Turning off verification disables RCS in Google Messages and can limit rapid account recovery, although Google asserts it does not sell phone numbers. Kaspersky notes a test policy that limits free storage for new accounts without a linked number.