How do you create a Google account privately? (need a temp phone number service)

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Hello!

So I need to create a Google account that I will only use on non Android devices (so no GPS tracking), but when I try to create one with my real IP address, iCloud Private Relay or a VPN, it keeps asking me for my phone number. (I know you can create one from an Android device that is already signed in, but then it already knows your number and IMEI)

I have tried everything to try to bypass this but I think I need a phone number. I don’t want to give out my real phone number and I live in an EU country that doesn’t allow you to get a phone number without an ID (which means it gets linked to you, this is not an issue for my threat model, but I feel like Google then knows exactly who I am, which I don’t want)

So, I think I need a temporary phone number service, I am okay with paying if it isn’t a large amount and if it really is safe. I have found a service called “textverified”, has anyone used this?

Thank you :slight_smile:

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for temp phone number service, instead:
https://smspool.net

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Google and Apple are extremely difficult to fool with a temp. phone number these days. The only thing that works now is jmp.chat in my experience if you want to pay for a number temporarily. But using VPNs and other obfuscation methods to sign in different places and devices will flag the account on Google’s end and will require another verification on the phone number which may not be valid if its a temp. number. I have personally experiences these issues.

@GorujoCY’s suggestion again won’t work if Google randomly asks you to verify via phone number in cases I described above (i.e for verification on every sign in attempt).

jmp.chat is your only good option I have for you. But you may also want to give juicysms.com a shot.

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If google still blocks the temporary number provided (they theoretically shouldn’t, especially on higher success rate ones), smspool also has the rental option. No need to beat around the bush like that.

if you don’t want my words from the mouth about them, you can have them instead @SMSPool

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Sure, similar to jmp.chat, you can rent.

What beating around the bush? Did you read my comment in full about the issue I am speaking of?

It’ll work once, but Google may ask verification any time in the future and if you if it’s truly a temp. number, smspool won’t work after working the first time when you make an account. I’m not factually wrong here. And I’m speaking from experience.

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I have read that if you remove the number afterwards and enable 2FA instead it will only ask you for the 2FA code instead of SMS verification. Is this true?

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with that said
any other rental number like jmp.chat is a valid option too. I would not dismiss those, it’s just what came to my mind first.
just this kind of attitude of dismissing it from yours idk what it is.

anyways alternatively and if available you can get prepaid sims but that requires a spare phone you can receive OTP on or a dual sim (2 e-sims, e-sim and sim or 2 sims) phone but either works.

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I cannot confirm this. You can give it a shot. But Google is very particular about having a phone number registered with them. At any point they may ask you again or even mandate it.

Like I said, Google is extremely difficult here with this stuff.

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Wasn’t dismissing it. You can choose to read it any way. But I was only stating facts. I never said it won’t work at all. It’ll work the once and if Google asks for verification again, it becomes useless unless you always have a number active for it.

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I can affirm that even smspool admitted this on reddit:

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Yeah, see. Google being a pain.

jmp.chat or renting a number on the cheap is the only way.

The ONLY other way is to always be signed in on one of your Gmail app on any device and use that to verify your account without a number if prompted again when trying to attempt signing in on any other device. Google sends a one time code of sorts to the app instead if you do not have access to your number. But after getting in, it may or may not still ask for another number. Hard to say about that.

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ok so slightly off topic:

If I just use an actual number that I don’t use for anything else, will that harm my privacy? I’m guessing yes since it’s basically public information

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Depends on if you consider Google knowing your identity a harm to your privacy. Your real or a real phone number is always tied to the account holder of that number. And Google can if they wanted to verify that it is indeed you whose account it is.

So, I would say yes. But it may not be the case for you depending on your threat model.

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Thank you both so much :slight_smile: i’ll try jmp if creating an account without a new gmail adress (using an existing temp mail) doesn’t work, 5$ isn’t a huge deal if it ends up not working :slight_smile:

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I don’t see the harm exactly in making a gmail alias but you do you of course.

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meant that they may not ask if you use anexisting email at signup

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they ask for either upon registration

as I said you do you.

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I can also speak from experience on this that Google will soon after force you to make a @gmail.com one surely. You can’t escape the difficulty with Google. They’ve really tightened it.

But OP can try still.

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What do you mean by temp phone numbers? Do you mean virtual numbers or real numbers that you only have access to for a short time?

I can confirm that this happens because it happened to me 2 weeks ago.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH SMSPOOL

I tried to create a Google account anonymously by using SMSPool. I used a VPN and did it in Mullvad browser.

First 4 attempts failed

My first three attempts failed. I got an error message from Google that the numbers I used had been used too many times in the past or were not allowed. This was surprising to me, because SMSPool claims they don’t reuse numbers, and that it takes months for them to get reassigned. And when they do get reassigned, they don’t belong to SMSPool anymore.

I wanted to maximize my privacy, so I always made sure that the location of the number I used and the location of my VPN were not the same country. SMSPool advised me to use the same location for both, so I did.

At first, I tried to create a Google account with the same username I had tried to register in the failed attempts, but it failed again. Google wouldn’t even try to send the code. That means that even if a username is not registered yet, Google remembers usernames that someone tried to register too many times.

5th time’s a charm!

Hence, I had to create a new username, which was frustrating, but this time it worked.
I received the code via SMSPool and my Google account was created.

Immediately after creating my account, I went into the security settings and enabled 2FA via authentication app. I also saved all my recovery codes and added a 2nd email address for verification from Addy. I did not add a phone number for 2FA because I knew I was going to lose the number I used to signed up.

I logged in on a new browser to see if everything worked, and it did!

Account locked within days!

I didn’t log in until a few days later, which when I found out my account was locked. When I tried to log into my new account, Google wouldn’t let me access it, even though my password was correct, as was the 2FA token from my authentication app. Despite the fact that my account’s 2FA settings didn’t have any phone number, Google wanted to verify that I am the owner of the account by sending a code to the number I used to sign up.

I couldn’t receive the code, so I clicked “try another way”, except when I did, Google didn’t offer any other way even though I have a recovery email address and recovery codes. It’s messed up. The only option was to recover my account, but when I clicked on “recover” I was right back in the login page.

LESSONS LEARNED

This literally happend 2 weeks ago. I really believed that if I enabled 2FA via authentication app, saved my recovery codes, and added recovery email address I would be fine, but I wasn’t.

1) Use a number you have access to for at least a month

Just in case they ask to veryify you number again.

2) Keep logging into your account multiple time during that month.

3) Enable 2FA via authentication app and all the other 2FA stuff I did.

If you have a YubiKey and passkey to add on top, that would probably help.

I haven’t tried creating a new account again. I’m too frustrated. But I will enventually. I’m just annoyed that I probably have to pay $5 yto $10 to continue to have access to the number I intend to use, for a least a month. There are quite a few online accounts I want to create, and it adds up.

I haven’t used JMPChat, but both SMSPool and JMPChat accept Monero, and SMSPool is now available on the Proxy Store, so you can pay for it with cash if it’s easier for you. Even if you are probably safe using an traceable payment method (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer), I advise you pay anonymously, which means paying cash or using Monero.

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That’s correct, it can happen sometimes.

Using one of our long-term rentals (monthly rentals) would solve this issue. I believe Google randomly prompts you if your IP score isn’t good. This can be the case with a fair amount of public VPNs (especially free one’s), although I haven’t experienced this issue with Google yet.