I REALLY hate Google sometimes
I tried to log into one of my Gmail accounts today that is associated with my youtube channel and Adsense account as well. Also, it has the analytics account for one of my websites going back 10 years I haven't been actively working on my sites, but I have almost 900 subscribers to my channel. Not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it's not like it's just five subscribers either.
I type in my password and Google asks me for my security question since I have a new phone. On the top of that I moved and I am in a completely different state. Well I have a really vague security question that I can't remember the answer to it. I don't think I ever set up a recovery email for it because I didn't think I would ever need it as long as I had the password.
The stupid thing about this entire thing is I still have access to the email itself because my phone is configured to download the email from the account. Google in their infinite wisdom lets my phone download the email, but they won't let me log into the same email account USING THE SAME PHONE with a web browser. This just blows my mind.
The only thing I can try is to dig through hold drives and hope I can boot one of them up that has an old cookie on it. Even then, I'm not sure it will work. I just really want to punch every single Google employee in the face right now.
Learn from my mistake and put a recovery email and phone number on your google account if you don't already have it setup. Also, make sure you know the answer to your google account security questions.
Edit #1
It appears there is a way to recover a Google Analytics account. I'm going to give it a shot and see what happens. Maybe it'll help to unlock the entire account?
Edit #2
I started the Google Analytics account recovery process at this link:
https://support.google.com/analytics/troubleshooter/7264014?...
I basically had to chat with a Google representative and provide them with the UA-ID and email address that was on the account. I had to upload an analytics.txt file to the root of my domain and reply back with URL of the file from the email address I want them to add to the account. They are escalating the issue and will be calling me back in 24-48 hours.
I did some additional research and I might be able to do an account recovery after all:
http://gmailaccountrecovery.blogspot.com/
I'm going to wait until after I finish the Google Analytics thing before I attempt to recover the entier account.
Edit #3
I have access to Google Analytics account now. I need to research if it's possible to do the same thing with my Adsense account. I'm think it would be pretty easy to verify that sense they sent me payments to my bank account. Also, it's linked to my Youtube account. Maybe if I get access to my Adsense accounts that's enough to prove I'm the owner of the Youtube account.
Edit #4 - I was able to log into my Gmail account this past Thursday, 1/14/21. I waited about five weeks from my previous attempt hoping that it wouldn't prompt me for my security question. However, it still prompted me. I tried guessing the answer to my security questions waiting 5 - qp seconds between every attempt. This seemed to prevent me from teiggering the dialog that I attempted to many passwords in a short period of time. I successfully guessed the answer to my security question after my tenth try.
I'm extremely happy to have access to this account because I xan start uploading Youtube videos again without habing to start from scratch. I'm anout 140 subscribers and 3500 watch hours away from being sble to monetize my channel sgain, but I have high hopes that I'll reach rhose milestones rather quickly once I start posting videos again.
Recent Comments
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We hope you can get this solved. It is frustrating because it takes time away from business. We do have a recovery email set up but to be safe I am going to document what it is. Thanks for the reminder.
Absolutely Thomas, we have all had "Do it later" moments but your blog reinforces the need to "Do it now".
This is a business, not a game. If you (we) made the same error of omission for a big corporation we would expect to be on the carpet in front of the big man for a telling off.
Thanks for the reminder
Bux
I'm kind of dense and a little moronic at times. I just wish they had made the warning a little more specific and stated that even if you know the password to the account you run the risk of not being able to log into it. If I get access to it again setting the account recovery email and phone number is going to be the first thing I do.
I’m back in! I put a recovery email in place. Hopefully, nothing like this happens to me again.
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Hello Thomas,
You know, I have not written on WA in quite a long time now. My campaigns being dead now, I am shocked I actually got a bite and once again getting a little bit of income from WA. Things have changed for me and have had a lot of frustrations with this work. It is great to see you again!
I have also had a downturn with Google on a number of things, one being some of my email accounts with similar issues that you are having. Whilst I have not moved out of the town where I live, I did move. Google keeps tripping up on the fact that I have a Linux computer. I've lost hard disks with the operating system and have had to "start over." Since then, for much the same reasons you are having issues with, I am locked out of mine. For the most part, it's those accounts that I have not used in a while. This alone triggers algorithmic suspicion and if one has not recorded their details, Boom! the gig is up when Google throws up its wall of screens!
I think one of the most major problems with Google comes in using their free "consumer" products. There is no support for any of this and if one can't satisfy the queries in the screening, that's just tough luck. I have data that I can't access anymore and so it just sits there on Google's servers. I have used Google's storage for personal files. Since then, I have lost a number of these to hard drive failures. I have tried every angle to access and can't prove who I am and that I am the one who owns the data.
Yes, this can affect business and can be their undoing.
I have not done this, but I am assuming using Google's paid services (Google Suite) would bring about a much better likelihood of recovering data because it comes with customer and technical support. Using the free consumer products comes with the same symphony one hears when they go to Google's various user forums - a vast quantity of users complaining in long threads about the same things, lots of frustration, complaining, choice words about how stupid Google is, "Meetoos" and no answers. It is very likely you have seen all of this.
It's nice hearing from you as well!
I get the odd affiliate commission here and there from Amazon. I was surprised last year when I received a WA commission. These small commissions here and there help keep my interest. It's nice to have written stuff a long time ago that still gets some traffic and sales.
I broadened my search last night to Google Analytics account recovery and this seems promising to at least getting my analytics and adsense account back. Basically, they have you make a CNAME record to prove you the domain. I'm hoping if I get the analytics and adsense unlocked that they will unlock the gmail and youtube part of it.
I have a few more answers to try for the security questions. I tried logging in again today, but it won't even display the security question any more. Apparently I've descended into another circle of hell. I'm hoping if I let it sit for some time it will eventually give me another crack at the security questions. In the meantime I'm going to try to unlock my Google Analytics account.
Good news, I was able to guess the andwer to my security question. I put in a recovery email right after to hopefully prevet this from happening again. I’m still debating if I want to put 2-factor authentication on it.
If you have patience with the extra work that you need to do in 2-factor, I'd do it. I had one of my email accounts compromised and the perpetrator used it to send porno all over the creation! Not only did I get all kinds of hate mail, I had a lot of apologies to many people to make, trying to explain I was not the one who did this, that it was hacked, not to mention a week responding to hundreds of angry replies. This was before they came up with 2-factor, but it's a good idea to have it! It goes without saying that any online banking you do should be protected as well as anything Google, Facebook, etc. As for me, I dumped all of my social media. The marketing you can do with these are, in my opinion, not worth it.
No doubt, if there is added protection, I'd do it. Most of my Google accounts are protected.