Can't log in to my Gmail account

Hey everyone!
I’ve been locked out of my Google account for two days now. It kicked me right in the middle of sending an email. A message popped up saying, "We detected unusual activity on the account you're trying to access. Follow the next steps to continue." The instructions tell me to enter my phone number to receive a verification code. But once I put the number in, it tells me, "This phone number has been used too many times for verification." Here’s the thing: this is a brand-new number I just activated thirty minutes ago. There is absolutely no way it’s been overused.
Can anyone help me figure out what to do? I'm waiting on a really important email and things are getting pretty urgent.

Thanks a ton!

Grace Torres55 said:Hey everyone.
I haven't been able to get into my Google account for two days now. It just kicked me out right in the middle of sending an email. A message popped up saying, "We detected unusual activity on the account you're trying to access. Follow the instructions to continue." So, I follow the steps, which involve entering my phone number to get a verification code. But once I put the number in, it tells me, "This phone number has been used too many times for verification." Which is ridiculous because this is a brand-new number. I literally just activated it half an hour ago. There is zero chance it's been "used too many times."
Can anyone tell me what to do? I'm waiting on a super important email and things are getting pretty urgent here.

Thanks a ton!

Changing your primary device settings can be a total headache.
Have you tried logging in from a laptop? Honestly, tracking whatever error messages the system throws at you is way easier on a computer than squinting at a tiny phone screen using google chrome.

Google does have a recovery process in place, though—within reason, anyway.

The massive downside to Gmail is that you will NEVER get actual human help to fix this stuff. That’s why those addresses shouldn't be used for anything serious, especially not for business.

John Cook72 said:Changing your primary device number can get really confusing.
Have you tried logging in on a computer? Using google chrome makes it way easier to track those system error messages compared to squinting at a phone screen.

Besides, Google actually has a pretty solid account recovery process (within reason).

The big downside with Gmail is that you’ll NEVER get actual human support to fix things. That's why I don't trust these addresses for anything serious, especially business stuff.

The number isn't even set to my main phone—it's on my backup, so I don't think that's the issue here. Logging in just isn't working, whether I'm on my phone or a desktop. I've already cycled through Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera, but nothing works.

If I had known getting any info out of Google was this much of a headache, I never would've used them in the first place. This is a nightmare.🙂

It honestly drives me crazy when I’m constantly switching between my phone and my laptop. Between the external IP address shifting on the DHCP and then jumping around different browsers for no reason, it's a mess.

Google—both for Gmail and the actual search engine—remembers everything. It tracks which browsers you've used, what IPs you were on, what OS you're running, and even roughly what kind of PC or phone you've got.

Maybe try logging in from a desktop or a laptop using the browser you usually stick to? If you suddenly show up on a brand-new phone, a totally different browser, and a fresh number all at once, you're just gonna confuse the Google account manager even more.

That message about it asking for your phone number to send a login code because it can't verify you... that's actually news to me. Usually, if you didn't set up a recovery number or a backup email beforehand, you're pretty much out of luck, unless they've cooked up some new way to get back in.

Grace Torres55 said:The number isn't even set up on my primary phone—it's on my backup, so I really don't think that's the issue here. Logging in just isn't working, whether I'm using my phone or a computer. I've tried Mozilla, Internet Explorer, and Opera... nothing works.

If I’d realized getting any actual info out of Google was going to be this much of a nightmare, I never would've touched them in the first place. This is just awful. 🙂

A friend of mine actually fixed their mess by requesting a PIN through their computer, which got sent to their phone. They just typed that code into the computer, authorized it, and suddenly the account and email were back up and running fine on the desktop.

John Cook72 said:A buddy of mine fixed his issue by requesting a PIN via his computer. They sent the code straight to his phone, he typed it back into the PC, authorized it, and boom—his account and email were back up and running on the computer.

That’s exactly where I’m stuck. I can't get my hands on that damn PIN. Every time I enter my number to request it, Google tells me the phone has been used too many times for authorization—which isn't even true! So, I went out today and bought a brand-new, never-before-used SIM card. I entered the new number, and Google still gives me the same error, saying the number has been used too many times for authorization. It's driving me crazy.

Jack Cook7 said:I always get hassled when I’m switching between my phone and my laptop constantly. My external IP changes on the DHCP, and then I might switch browsers just for fun, which doesn't help.

Google remembers which browsers you used, what IPs they were tied to, your OS, and even roughly what kind of PC or phone you're using for both Gmail and Search.

Try logging in from a desktop or laptop using the browser you usually stick to. If you jump onto a brand-new phone or a different browser along with a new number, you're just going to confuse the Google account manager even more.

That part about being unable to log in and having them ask for a phone number to send a code—that's news to me. If you didn't set up a recovery number or a backup email beforehand, you're usually stuck unless they've rolled out some new feature.

Maybe I explained that poorly; I actually tried logging in from my regular desktop. I put the new number into my old phone just to get it activated, but I haven't even tried logging into Gmail or anything on that device yet—mostly because I didn't want to make things even messier.

Here is exactly how it plays out for me:
1. I type in my username
2. It asks for the password
3. It tells me the account is blocked due to suspicious activity and asks for a phone number to send an unlock code.
4. I enter the number, and it tells me the phone has been used too many times for verification (which isn't even true).
5. That's it. I'm stuck.
6. I'm basically breathing into a paper bag to stop myself from hyperventilating because I am so fed up with this. They can go jump in a lake.😠

Grace Torres55 said:I might have explained things a little poorly before; what I actually meant was that I attempted to log in using my usual desktop computer, the one I always use for everything. I only popped my new number into my old phone just to get it activated, but I haven't actually tried logging into Gmail or anything else on that device yet—mostly because I didn't want to risk messing anything up or making the situation even more complicated!

So, here is basically how everything seems to be unfolding for me:
I guess I’ll start by typing in my username.
I guess I’m still on the hunt for that password!
So, I just received this message saying my account has been blocked due to some suspicious activity, and now they're asking me to provide a mobile number so they can send over a code to unlock everything! I guess it might be legitimate, though I'm feeling a little bit uncertain about it, maybe?
I tried to enter my phone number just now, but I keep getting this frustrating error message saying my device has been used too many times for verification purposes. It’s a bit of a headscratcher because, honestly, I don't think that's even true! I haven't used it nearly that much, but for some reason, the system seems convinced otherwise. I guess there might be some kind of glitch happening on their end, or maybe I'm just hitting a limit I wasn't aware of? It's certainly a bit of a nuisance when you're just trying to get things sorted out.
I guess I’ve hit a bit of a wall here, because honestly, I can't seem to move forward with anything else at this point!
I’m actually sitting here breathing into a paper bag just to stop myself from hyperventilating, because honestly, I am just so incredibly fed up with them—may they all face some serious misfortune this upcoming holiday season! 😠

I was just thinking about how much easier life would be if we could simply revert to an old phone number whenever we felt like it! I guess it might be a bit of a project, but I've been wondering if there's actually a way to get a previous mobile number back once it's been changed. Maybe it’s worth reaching out to your service provider—perhaps someone at Verizon or AT&T—to see if that specific number is still sitting in their inventory, though I suppose it's a bit of a long shot, isn't it?

Kenneth Cruz67 said:Just get your old phone number back.

How is that supposed to fix my issue with Google?

Grace Torres55 said:I mean, how is that actually supposed to fix my issues with Google?

Well, I suppose you probably registered that specific number with Google back when you set everything up, 🤔

The way you're trying to handle this doesn't seem to make much sense to me, honestly. If that were the case, anyone could just pop a new SIM card into their phone and somehow hijack your entire Gmail account, right?

In the end, since you haven't used that old number for verification very often, I imagine it should still work just fine if you try it.

Are you positive someone didn't phish your machine or your Gmail address?

Jack Cook7 said:Are you sure your computer or Gmail hasn't been phished?

It crossed my mind. I'm usually pretty careful with these kinds of emails and rarely hand out personal info online.
I actually found some similar examples on Google Help, so I'll dig into that. Definitely not the first person this has happened to...

Kenneth Cruz67 said:I mean, you probably linked that number to your Google account back when you set it up.🤔

The way you’re describing this doesn't really add up. If that were true, anyone could just pop a new SIM in their phone and hijack your Gmail.

At the end of the day, if you haven't used that old number for verification much, it should still work fine.

I don't actually have a number registered with Google. You used to be able to do things without one a long time ago.

They can't just add a new number unless they also have access to my backup email where the code gets sent.

But the issue is, nothing is working and I have no clue why.