Google user

Original Poster

Sep 23, 2019

Can't recover yet I provide all asked for & THE VERIFICATION # FROM THE DAY MY ACCT was created.

How can I not recover the Gmail account I have been using since high school literally a decade ago? I had my girlfriend change the password for the weekend so I could stay off it, she wrote down the new password, and then when I went to change it back it was wrong and we can't figure out what typo or whatever the new pass is.

So, I provided the following:

1. A verification # sent to the primary phone number on my account

2. The phone number of this primary phone

3. The phone number of the primary phone

4. The CORRECT password from prior to this password change

5. The CORRECT date I created my Gmail account

And this isn't enough, so they ask for additional info and say they'll get back to me. Here I provide:

6. The EXACT month, day, and year in which I created my account

7. The original backup email from the Gmail creation

8. A VERIFICATION CODE FROM THIS EMAIL A DECADE AGO THAT SAYS TO "USE THIS IN CASE YOU EVER NEED TO RECOVER YOUR PASSWORD"

9. The password she had written down (in case it was just a simple typo, which I'm sure it is)

How in the world is this NOT enough to verify my account? I have had this account since high school, nearly all of my accounts on you name it goes through this Gmail, and honestly I am emotionally attached to it and the thought of losing it makes me super anxious and sad. I have provided MORE than enough for what has been required of people (and me) in the past to recover accounts.

I am convinced my 'additional info' to help verify my account wasn't actually read by a person, because there is absolutely no legitimate way this account has not been proven without a doubt to belong to me at this point, especially when considering the extra information I provided.

Is there any way I can call someone at Google, or have an actual person respond to me here and help me with this issue? This is absolutely ludicrous.

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All Replies (25)

jp88

Diamond Product Expert

Volunteer helper, and user, in Google forums. Not a Google employee.

Sep 23, 2019

Kevin Votaw

Google do require the account holder to submit the Account Recovery (AR), https://accounts.google.com/signin/recovery so that further help can be given, if possible. There is no other way, at this stage, to recover the account. Google will not assist, unless this step has been undertaken.

What was the response from Google, after the account recovery was submitted? Full text of that message please. (Redact anything personal.)

We need this information, in order to move forward. Please let us know.

Danielle Wilde

Oct 14, 2019

I suppose I will not be regaining my entire life back... Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, etc. It was three years ago or maybe 4 when I lost access to my main Google account. I keep hoping to get my old accounts back because I would be able to if I only could get my password right through Google. It has to do with Google because those other accounts email that account and my Outlook email won't add my old email which I believe was a reliable recovery method even though it was an Outlook account and I understand that sounds confusing. It specifically says "We've detected something unusual about this sign-in. For example, you might be signing in from a new location , device or app." Then it wants to verify that it is me using guess what? My old gmail address... It wants to send the code to my old phone number... I would be able to regain my outlook and find it possibly and they do indeed have a recovery email for me, but dear oh dear I have no idea why I created that account ( the one they claim to be the recovery email for my main gmail ) and I will have to look through heaps of paper that I saved with passwords and stuff like that to see if I even have information on that email address... I miss having all of those things and I do not understand why it is so difficult for Google to help people out with identification.

"All those moments are lost in time like tears in rain"

jp88

Diamond Product Expert

Volunteer helper, and user, in Google forums. Not a Google employee.

Oct 14, 2019

Anne

People jumping into existing posts are usually ignored.

You will need to start your own unique thread, and describe, concisely and clearly, your problem.

This will help avoid any confusion, and thank you for your cooperation!

Google user

Original Poster

Oct 22, 2019

your accounts going to get deleted and every time you make a new one it will go straight to my phone and I will delete everything Choose Wisely

Addisen Sexton

Oct 29, 2019

so i am in the exact same situation kevin was in can anyone help? i have tried all possible passwords but havent had the luck kevin had with finally getting it right. the only thing i cannot provide it the date when i opened it since it was years ago. i have one old device that i leave logged in to the account so i can see me emails but i cant change the pw cuz it need the current one to do so. please help me because google is obviously not going to do anything what so ever to help. just get automated responses every time i reach out to them. so frustrating

Mohan Padmanagara

Oct 30, 2019

So what's the function of the email that they gave us when we created the email like below:

Congratulations on creating your brand new Gmail address, xxxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com
Please keep this email for your records, as it contains an
important verification code that you may need should you ever
encounter problems or forget your password.

You can login to your account at http://mail.google.com/

Enjoy!

The Gmail Team

Verification code: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When obviously those codes and keeping the email is of no help if we lose our phone and have move country

jp88

Diamond Product Expert

Volunteer helper, and user, in Google forums. Not a Google employee.

Oct 30, 2019

Mohan

So what's the function of the email that they gave us when we created the email like below:

Good question. However Google deprecated the use of that years ago as a recovery tool, found it not a secure method. How long ago did you receive this?

Mohan Padmanagara

Oct 30, 2019

June 2012 when I created the account. Well if they decided to do that don't they supposed to let us know so that we can at least tell them that "hey I just lost my phone or I just move to another country" and make the necessary adjustments? Or did they?

Thank you for your reply though

Last edited Oct 30, 2019

jp88

Diamond Product Expert

Volunteer helper, and user, in Google forums. Not a Google employee.

Oct 30, 2019

Well if they decided to do that don't they supposed to let us know

That would be ideal, maybe they did, I wasn't here then.

wer wer

Nov 3, 2019

Hello, I have a similar situation. I just created a new account because I was receiving hacking attempts on my other one. I put all the backup info into a password keeper, but after changing the password to the encrypted volume I have it in, I can't reopen it. My backup file was also in the volume and the backup volume didn't have the new account info yet. The email address had a very specific name related to a business name.

When I go through the recovery process, it all looks good.. the password was a very long random one so I enter in a random one, I enter the correct backup phone number for 2FA and code it sends me, and then also a good email and the code it is sent to it. Then it just says: Your account cannot be verified, or something to that effect. I've tried multiple times just to make sure I'm entering in the final 6 digit code in correctly, but it says the same thing. So something else must be incorrect, and it is very misleading to have me go through that process only to deny it because of the original 'last password I remember' is incorrect, or for some other reason like not having a recovery email (I limited the recovery methods to two 2FA methods and backup codes to reduce the threat surface).

So why does it have me go through that process only to deny verification on the last step which I know though repetition must have been correct? And is there no other way to recover an account? I've gone through the links above. I get that Google has a massive userbase, but there should be some fallback to a human somewhere.. hopefully here? ..Thank you

Last edited Nov 3, 2019

no nav

Nov 29, 2019

Best to quit Google, it happened to me twice. Somehow Google possess more information about me than I know about myself. It's stupid because you know details about yourself but they know more as they decide you are not you. Best bit is when you pay for something and the box pops up asking if you want card details saved for future, you hit no and guess what....... They store it, even if you've turned this feature off completely from your device settings. They can't control their own apps in store with malware, they rely on third party testing. Because of these pigs my son lost his data from 3 devices all with paid content.

DUDE BARTOLILLO

Jan 3, 2020

I WANT A GOOGLE SUPERVISOR TO CALL ME ON MY PHONE SO WE CAN TALK DIRECTLY BECAUSE EVERYTHING ON HERE I WAS TOLD TO DO IS ABSOLUTELY NO HELP AT ALL. YOU MADE ME CHANGE MY EMAIL N MY EMAIL AND PASSWORD STILL DOESN,T WORK. I CAN NOT ACCESS ANYTHING AND/OR BUY ANYTHING

jp88

Diamond Product Expert

Volunteer helper, and user, in Google forums. Not a Google employee.

Jan 4, 2020

DUDE BARTOLILLO

No one will call you, and you need to start your own new thread, in this forum. Clearly describe your problem.

And please do not post in Caps, you probably will be ignored if you do that.