Google is silently linking phone numbers across accounts — the privacy risks and how to stop them

Credit: Thanh Nguyen / Android Authority As you may have heard from the news, Google now attaches your phone number to all accounts signed in on your Android device without notifying you beforehand. This isn’t a new feature — it has been enabled by default since the September 2025 Google Play services update, but it’s only now that users are taking notice. A quick word on what’s really happening: when you add a phone number to a Google account, Google automatically adds that number to other accounts on the same device. Google’s purpose is probably to improve account recovery and enhance accounts’ anti-abuse measures. However, a surge in discussion around this feature has prompted me to examine the privacy and security threats that may come with it, before offering steps to double-check your Google Account security.