Mildly Infuriating

I understand that Google already has my phone number. That's not so much of a problem for me. I am trying to limit the amount of personal information that I hand out to websites & services. I believe that companies shouldn't need my personal phone number to create, maintain or secure my account. If I need security, I'll install 2FA TOTP. If not, that's still my decision and I shouldn't be forced. Especially not in form of having to provide my phone number.

Try not to judge the whole community for idiotic posts like these. There are always going to be dumb kids shouting dumb shit wherever you go, sometimes you've just gotta roll your eyes and keep on walking (or scrolling I guess) leaving the folly far behind.

i'm trying to work with a user here now who has an 'old school' gmail, no recovery methods, no phone numbers. cannot get in, even with the password as it's locked into requiring 2fa or some bullshit, which can't be done because there's no way to. google offers to send a 'code' to an email they provides but they never do. that account is just g.o.n.e.

i have had many others who have been screwed-over by microsoft when they ditched voice calls for verification/2fa, for years they begged and pleaded and conned users into giving up a phone number.. any phone number. and so they did. their landlines. they only ever had those landlines associated with their msa and microsoft won't utilize them anymore. this has spilled over to a several of them losing access to other accounts (in one case, including a number of ipods and ipads used by a family, too) because their 'hotmail' is now inaccessible for 2fa or verification/recovery of those non-microsoft accounts.

I hate Google

Then why are you reactivating your account?

I'm counting the days until Google decides it "necessary" to scan our faces to log in.

When my Instagram login got locked due to inactivity, they want my phone number rand a selfish as part of the reactivation process.

Fuck that, it's not important enough for me to go through that kind of bullshit.

Times simular to your exaggeration will come and people will say "But it's their service! If you want to use it, you have to follow their rules". Not understanding that they're slowly handing over control over their lives because we live in a modern time where everything is about technology. Sad to see how many people don't understand this and disagree with me when I say that I'm infuriated over this.

Google is lying to you. They don’t want your phone number to “verify it’s you”. They want your phone number because it’s an effective measure against bot accounts.

There you're correct that they are lying and don't want the number to verify. They want it so they can link the profile they have to an actual person. That'll make the profile more valuable to them. Better tracking etc.