Most of us these days have many things linked or stored to our Google Account; it could be contacts, emails, photos, and whatnot. No doubt, it’s easy for you to get back into your Google Account if you lost access because you forgot your password. However, things can go horribly wrong when you lose your device that doesn’t have an updated recovery phone number. Google understands this and has announced a new feature called Recovery Contacts, which will help you securely regain your account access.
In an announcement post from yesterday, Google noted that Recovery Contacts is “a simple, secure way to turn to people you trust” when you’re out of all the recovery options. If you want to add a trusted contact for your Google Account recovery in the future, go to this webpage.
If you lose your device, you will have to share a code with them. On the other side, they will receive the recovery code via email or notification. Then, they can confirm that it’s really you by verifying the code. This way, you can securely get back into your Google Account.
Google further assures that your trusted contacts won’t have access to your account or any of your personal information. In other words, their role in this process is limited to verification. Passkeys are already a secure password-free option to access your Google Account. With the new feature, Google Account owners will worry a little less.
Google has started rolling out the feature. But, there’s a catch. The tech giant suggests that your account has to be eligible to be able to add trusted contacts for Google Account recovery. But from the looks of it, it’s available to everyone. We were able to set Recovery Contacts for one of our Google Accounts. All that said, it would be in your best interest to add your trusted contacts as soon as possible.
