If you are signing up for a new Google account and you encounter an error while verifying your mobile number, you are not alone. A common error while creating Google account is “This number cannot be used for verification” and it seems like your number is flagged by Google for new account creation- But the thing is that it’s possibly because you have overused the number for multiple accounts. Here, we will tell you how to solve this problem.
Why Google asks for phone number verification for new account sign up?
During a new account signup at Google, you are asked for phone number verification. You can either opt for SMS text verification or Google voice call verification. You get a code and you have to verify that code on the new account creation page. But why is it important?
The phone number verification is important for multiple reasons.
- One of the reasons is to prevent over-spamming and to confirm that you are who this phone number belongs to. If there are no rules for verification using a method that is available only post an identity verification, like phone number- people will create unlimited accounts and spam using it.
- Another reason is the need for constant communication.
- You also need to verify a phone number to prove that you are a human and not a bot.
- One more reason why phone number verification is important is because you have a method to access your account in case you forget password or other details.
What is “This phone number cannot be used for verification” error?
When you are creating a new Gmail account and the page says that the number you have entered cannot be used for verification, it means that Google has found the number being used on multiple accounts beyond limit. If that is the case, you cannot use the same number for new accounts.
However, there are some methods you can use to create new account on Google without getting this error.
Change the mobile number you are using
Of course, the first and the easiest method is to use another phone number to create an account on Google. If you have more than one contact number, use the second one in case you are getting error with first one. Since this phone number cannot be used for identity verification, another number should be easily accepted.
If you don’t have another phone number or you don’t want to use any other phone number for verification, use the next method to solve this error.
Remove the phone number from another Google account
If you are willing to use this number only, you have an option to remove this phone number from your older Google accounts. That will lift the limit on the phone number verification available for your contact number.
You can replace your seconday Google account’s contact number with another one and use your favorite phone number for new account.
But, there is another scenario. In some countries, when you don’t use your phone number for a certain period, it is revoked and then made available for other people to purchase it. This is a messy situation. So, let’s say you have a phone number which was previously used by someone else and they had used it for various Google account verification. What do you do then?
Contact Google and remove your phone number from other Google accounts
If you are the owner of your phone number, legally you are allowed to request Google and make them remove your phone number from other Google accounts. It is because phone numbers are a part of your private information and you have right to determine where you want your private information to be available. In case your phone number was used by previous owner for Google account verification, write an email to Google and ask them to detach your phone number from those accounts. That will stop the “This number cannot be used for verification” error.
Additional Issues And Solutions
While we have explained the major reason and solutions above, there are some other reasons why you may get the error saying your phone number cannot be used for verification.
- A possibility is that a Google account that had your number attached, was used for spamming or phishing or similar unethical act. If so, that account and mobile number associated with that would have been temporarily flagged.
- Another reason is just a suspicion of spamming. In these cases, your number is blocked for 24-48 hours.
- When too many accounts are created from same IP address or same device, new account creation may give error at any stage, so this also needs to be considered.
In these cases, you can use some of the below mentioned suggestions-
- Try waiting for 48 hours and see if the phone number verification error still persists.
- If it does, check for all the accounts you have verified using your number and see if any of them are flagged for spamming or suspicious activities.
- Contact Google support and ask them to provide you with alternate methods for verification.
So these are some of the solutions we have for you to sort this problem. If your issue persists, we suggest you to contact Google and ask them to solve this for you. We also suggest you to not use same phone number for too many accounts as it may count as spamming.
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