In fact, this story, released on 24 December, now includes more details on how to recover a non-Facebook account if you can’t remember the password before it was deleted. Tips for efficiently managing multiple Google accounts on one device without the risk of account deletion.
Google, widely known for collecting large amounts of data, is now shifting its focus towards removing data. Here’s what Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Maps users should know to keep their data safe.
Google Maps’ Latest Service Set for Data Purge—Here’s What You Should Know
The exact date varies depending on the account, with some emails mentioning deadlines in May and others in June. This timeline feature, previously called location history, includes details about saved places and travel routes.
The reasoning seems to be related to security, which is a positive thing. The timeline location history feature is being moved from Google’s cloud servers to your device. This way, it can take advantage of the stronger security measures offered by your smartphone.
When you open your timeline, a popup will inform you about upcoming changes. To keep your location history, Google suggests a simple solution: “Since timeline data comes directly from your device, it won’t be accessible on your computer’s maps after moving the data. To keep it, download the Google Maps app and move your data to your device.”
Read Also: Google Chrome App Delete Out All Saved iOS Passwords.
Gmail and Google Photos data are also at risk of deletion.
Google has shared that inactive accounts will face data deletion under its updated 2023 policy. This includes Gmail, photos, and documents tied to accounts unused for over two years. Like the cleanup of old data in Google Maps, this move is focused on enhancing security. According to Google, accounts that remain inactive are far less likely to have two-step verification enabled, making them more prone to hacking compared to active accounts.
A Google representative mentioned, “As we talked about in our blog post, this update is being released slowly.” This means that individuals will see varying deadlines for account deletion, roughly six months after they receive their initial notification about the change to their account.'”
To keep your Google accounts from being deleted, especially if you have more than one, it’s pretty straightforward—just use them! This means signing in to your accounts or, as Google suggests, fulfilling any of these activity requirements:
- Checking or sending an email
- Making use of Google Drive.
- Viewing a video on YouTube.
- Uploading a photo
- Installing an application
- Searching on Google
Read Also: Is Proton Drive better than Google Drive?
How to Retrieve an Inactive Google Account Without Knowing the Correct Password
There was a post on the Gmail subreddit on December 25 asking if Google accounts could be recovered without a password. Good news: it’s possible. However, in this situation, it may not be helpful because the user didn’t set up a recovery phone number and can’t recall the recovery email. They also inquired if they could submit proof of identity in another manner, but sadly, that option isn’t available. Just having proof of identity doesn’t confirm ownership of the account. It is quite likely that there are many people around the world with the same name.
A Google account hack or forgetting your Google login details is not a big deal. Act quickly if you want to recover your account before it’s deleted. I talked to Ross Richendrfer, a Gmail spokesperson who focuses on security and privacy, to get some advice.
Richendrfer recommended that users add a recovery phone number and email address to their accounts. This way, if users forget their passwords or if someone else accesses their accounts and alters their login details, they can potentially recover their login information.
You can enter any phone number or email address you remember using before, as Google may still recognize them. Once you enter this information, Google will send a recovery code to that email or phone number and display any accounts linked to it. This will initiate a new verification process, allowing you to recover access to your account.
Google’s Advanced Protection Program is intended for those who desire more robust account protection. For people who are more prone to being threatened online, including journalists, activists, and well-known people, it is extremely helpful. However, recovering an account with this program can be difficult and take more time because of extra verification steps. It involves several additional steps and verification processes. Despite this, accounts secured with this method are highly unlikely to become inactive or be forgotten.
Read Also: Top 4 Exciting New Features of Google Home That’s My Favourite
Managing multiple Google accounts on a single device is simple—here’s how to do it.
Managing multiple Google accounts on one device may seem extremely complicated, but in reality, it’s straightforward and very important. This helps avoid any risk of losing data and keeps things organized.
Here’s how you can manage it in just four easy steps for your Google account:
- Click on your account symbol in the upper-right corner of any Google service where you are currently logged in.
- Now, choose the “Add Account” option.
- Before proceeding, make sure you have already set up a secondary account. Once that’s done, you can select it and sign in. It’s a good idea to enable two-factor authentication and, even better, use a passkey for all your accounts if you haven’t done so yet.
- Go back to the first step, and you’ll successfully add the second account. From there, you can switch between the two whenever needed. You can also add as many accounts as you want using this method. To keep all your Google accounts active and safe from deletion, consider setting aside a few minutes once a month to sign in to each account.