Google links your SIM number to every Android account, and turning it off takes manual cleanup
Disabling the default leaves numbers already attached in place, so each account must be cleared by hand, and RCS chats fall back to SMS.
Android phones have been automatically verifying each SIM's phone number and attaching it to every signed-in Google account on the device, a default that has been active since September 2025 and that many users only noticed after receiving unprompted verification emails. According to Google's support pages, the link covers existing and future accounts, and it is re-verified periodically by Google and carriers, which can carry carrier charges; the setting can only be changed on the phone itself. Verification also powers features such as account recovery, RCS messaging, phone-number sign-in, lost-device location and Quick Share, and enables Better sharing on Google for one signed-in account. To turn it off, users open Settings, then Google, All services, Phone number verification, and disable automatic verification, but this does not remove numbers already attached, which must be deleted manually in each account's Personal info settings. Disabling it means losing RCS chats in Google Messages, which fall back to SMS, and Google has not explained why the number must be added to every account.
Why it matters
Users who never chose this link now face a trade-off between features such as RCS messaging and account recovery and keeping their number out of every signed-in account. Turning the default off stops future links but does not remove existing ones, so users who want full separation must visit each account's personal info settings themselves. Google says it does not sell personal data, including phone numbers, but it has not explained why the number must be attached to every account, leaving the purpose of the link unclear.
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