Question 2 questions if that's ok? Browser and Google account phone number.

[justanotherandroiduser7]

Hi, the first question is that I went to what is my browser website as it's been loading pages really slowly and gives results as:​

• YOUR WEB BROWSER LOOKS LIKE:​

  DuckDuckGo on Linux

• ​

  DuckDuckGo 5 on Android 13
  This conflict might be causing other websites to not detect your web browser properly.

Does this sound ok? I just checked this page as I posted on a forum and it said "Browser used for Last Visit Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 13) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Chrome/111.0.5563.116 Mobile DuckDuckGo/5 Safari/537.36".

My second question is that somebody else is using my phone number as an account login for Google but I've had no luck on the Google forums.

This is what I posted:

Somebody else is using my phone number with their Gmail account.​

Hi, so basically I went to sign in on Gmail using my phone number but the password was wrong. Tried a few more times, thought how strange.

So rather than use my email, I went down the forgotten password route and it's sending a notification to a model of phone that I don't own or ever have. It even showed me the last two digits of another mobile number for verification which again I have never had.

So my questions are, is there a way for Google to remove my number from someone else's account and more importantly are there any security issues with my mobile phone number being on someone else's Gmail account, such as the ability to use messages for web, Google Voice, backup my contacts etc. Can this individual/s do anything by having my phone number on their Gmail account?

Surely when whoever it was that added my number to their account, would have had to have sent a verification code to my number?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I'm concerned that I might have to change my phone number if there are security issues.
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Any help would be appreciated

 

[VidJunky]

Welcome to Android Central forums.

To your first question not sure what is returning this information but it is technically correct. Android is based on Linux. Not sure what system these days would not be able to recognize Android vs Linux but they are similar with one being based off of the other. I wouldn't be concerned with this mix up.

As for the phone number thing. That is a head scratcher because I believe you're correct, when adding a phone number to an account it often involves verification. Google is one that is often pushing verification for most if not all contact information so this is puzzling.

In the meantime have you tried adding the number to your own account or has it already been added?

How long have you had that number/that number attached to your account?

Is it possible that someone in your household could have used your number? I've seen instances of children signing up for accounts using the parent's number and the parent being oblivious to the situation. Some of us just hand our devices to our kids.

I'm at a loss for any suggestion on this one.

 

[justanotherandroiduser7]

Many thanks for your reply VidJunky. The first issue gives me peace of mind

I have been able to add the number to my own account and I did need to verify it successfully. Nobody else has had any access to my phone which is the strange thing. I've had the number for around 2 years.

But say for example I try to login to Google with my phone number, the password is incorrect. On Google my phone number is associated with another account and indeed another phone and phone number as recovery options.

My main concern was if there were any security issues with somebody else having my phone number on their Google account. If so I will just have to change my number.

I know this is a Google issue but I can't find any phone number or live chat option, and no help on the forums. There's others who have the same issue.

Thanks again for your reply.

 

[justanotherandroiduser7]

Just to add, I've setup a new account, added phone number, all good. Then when I go to security to add two step verification it texts me the code which I input. It says "validating PIN", then says "sorry something went wrong please try again". Same result with the phone call verification.

Think it might be time for a new phone number

 

[VidJunky]

That is really odd. I was thinking as I was reading your first reply that perhaps it was an area code thing where the number is the same but the prefix, the area code, is different but you have to enter a 10 digit phone number so that can't be right. This also excludes calling the number to see who or if someone else answers. The other glaring oddity in this is that it allowed you to enter, use and verify the number. Google does press people to verify but it doesn't force them to. So now I'm wondering if it might be a case of someone longing for the past trying to hold onto something by using that number. Something I can understand as there have been many times I've thought of my childhood phone number, engrained in me like a tattoo. Plus you mentioned that you've only had the number for 2 years. In phone number time that really isn't that long. I've had mine for very close to 20 years, most people port theirs so they don't have to give it up, I know people right now that have lived in my area for half a decade or more that still have out of state area codes so they don't have to switch.

So yeah it sucks that you cannot use your own number the way you want. Not sure if it would be worth getting another number 2 years in, having to change it every place, correct your contacts and on and on but there may be no other way to not be in the situation you're in.

Best wishes. Let us know what you end up doing.

 

[justanotherandroiduser7]

Hey VidJunky I really appreciate your reply. Yeah it's quite strange. There's quite a few threads of people with a similar problem. I called my carrier and explained the situation and they have given me a new number.

They said that it was possible that the number I had was 'recycled'. So going by this, maybe somebody didn't pay their bill or whatever and then I was given the number when I joined them. I was unaware that carriers actually do this with old phone numbers.

Anyway thanks again

 

[VidJunky]

Oh yeah no problem. recycling numbers is definitely a thing, at least around here. It used to be that the number had to be vacant for, I want to say 24 months but it could be longer or shorter than that, I'm sure that's to try and prevent customers from getting calls for the old owner.

At least it sounds like getting a new number was painless for you. Glad it worked out.

 

[B. Diddy]

Regarding the first part of your question -- what do you mean when you say "I went to what is my browser website"? Where are you seeing that information about the conflict?

For the second part -- which phone are you using, and has it always been yours? When you say you're trying to sign into your Gmail account, do you mean your general Google account (like during the setup wizard), so that the phone is syncing everything with your Google account? Or are you trying to sign into Gmail through the browser for some reason (instead of using the Gmail app)?

 

[flechemano]

Hi, the first question is that I went to what is my browser website as it's been loading pages really slowly and gives results as:​

• YOUR WEB BROWSER LOOKS LIKE:​

  DuckDuckGo on Linux

• ​

  DuckDuckGo 5 on Android 13
  This conflict might be causing other websites to not detect your web browser properly.

Does this sound ok? I just checked this page as I posted on a forum and it said "Browser used for Last Visit Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 13) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Chrome/111.0.5563.116 Mobile DuckDuckGo/5 Safari/537.36".

My second question is that somebody else is using my phone number as an account login for Google but I've had no luck on the Google forums.

This is what I posted:

Somebody else is using my phone number with their Gmail account.​

Hi, so basically I went to sign in on Gmail using my phone number but the password was wrong. Tried a few more times, thought how strange.

So rather than use my email, I went down the forgotten password route and it's sending a notification to a model of phone that I don't own or ever have. It even showed me the last two digits of another mobile number for verification which again I have never had.

So my questions are, is there a way for Google to remove my number from someone else's account and more importantly are there any security issues with my mobile phone number being on someone else's Gmail account, such as the ability to use messages for web, Google Voice, backup my contacts etc. Can this individual/s do anything by having my phone number on their Gmail account?

Surely when whoever it was that added my number to their account, would have had to have sent a verification code to my number?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I'm concerned that I might have to change my phone number if there are security issues.
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Any help would be appreciated

You can login the account and remove your number or you send a mail to that account and make him/her remove your number. There should be some service to send mail with the registered number. but... +12 3456789000 and +1 234 56789000 are looking same but they are different. Maybe you can not solve this problem with an easy way.