I’ve long since deleted my other accounts but can’t sign in to my main and oldest one because it can’t “verify” me so I’m basically locked out even though I still have access to gmail via IMAP.
They usually force additional verification with a phone number/app but I intentionally never linked those to my account for privacy. My options are a random answer to a security question that I don’t remember because I made it when I was barely a teen, or signing in from a “known location”. You can’t opt out of this this additional “security” or forced MFA bullshit and I certainly never opted in.
I’ve mostly moved away from using anything Google and have moved to more private and free alternatives like Proton, self-hosted, etc but I’m frustrated. I hate them so much on so many levels.
That’s it, I’m not looking for advice or anything. I’ll figure it out eventually. Just wanted to vent a little bit.
Google has serious issues, but to be clear MFA is something you should implement on all of your accounts. Use an authenticator, not SMS.
I use Aegis for 2FA on multiple accounts. I just really don’t like it when I’m forced into it with no way to opt out, whether it’s an authenticator or SMS.