How to avoid getting your Google Account locked out

Many of us We have a lot of digital data locked up in our Google accounts: emails, photos, chats, documents, schedules, and restaurant reviews. The loss of access to that data would likely be fairly high on the scale of the disaster.

There are steps you can take before this happens to reduce the chances of being permanently disconnected from your Google Account. You should put as much security around the account as possible, which includes setting up two-factor authentication, and you should review your options for regaining access if the worst happens.

These options now include Recovery Contacts, where you identify friends and relatives you trust who can help you get back into a locked account. Here’s how it works, plus information about other account recovery features you should be aware of.

Set up recovery contacts

We’ll start with the newest account recovery feature, recovery contacts. This is a list of up to 10 people you select, and when you try to get back into your Google Account, they can be asked to confirm access in the same way you would normally agree to a prompt on your phone (which is useful if you lose your phone, for example).

To set up recovery contacts, head to your Google Account on the web, then tap protection. This is the page where you can control access to your account, check the apps and devices associated with it, and review recent account activity. Under the list of sign-in options, click Recovery contacts.

Recovery Contacts is a new option for your Google Account.

Photography: David Nield

Click Add a recovery contact To start building your list. You have to enter the email addresses of each person you want to add as a recovery contact, and you’ll see some suggestions on the screen. Your chosen contacts must have a Google Account they can access, so Gmail addresses are required here.

Once you’ve selected someone (and you can only add one person to the list at a time), tap He continues And then Submit the request. The selected contact then receives a message in their inbox, containing a link that is valid for seven days. They can choose to accept or ignore the request, and if they accept the deal, you will receive a confirmation email. You will also receive an email when your order is submitted, to protect against anyone adding your recovery contacts without your knowledge or consent.

It’s a good idea to choose people you communicate with regularly as recovery contacts. They should be people you can call or meet face-to-face, so that when they receive the email from Google, you can tell them what’s going on and reassure them that they’re not being phished. Google says they should be people who can respond within 15 minutes if you’re having trouble with your account.