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Old 2 Oct 2015, 07:20 AM   #1
Tsunami
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown
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Access recovery secondary email address?

When logging in to my Gmail account today, I was prompted the question whether I wanted to fill in a Phone number or secondary email address in order to recover access to my account should I ever forget my password.

I didn't feel this was needed, so I wanted to proceed to my inbox and pressed "done". In the field where you could enter a secondary email address was a random example given (something like you(AT)emailaddress.com).

I pressed OK to proceed to my inbox but only then realised that maybe there actually IS someone who owns the email address you(AT)emailaddress.com and who would now be the secondary email address that can recover access to my account.

Did I make a mistake? Should I have deleted the example in the field for secondary email address and leave that field blank?

Where can I control that no secondary email address has been installed for my Gmail account?



PS: my interface is in Dutch so the you(AT)emailaddress.com example they gave in the field for a secondary email address, actually was a Dutch translation of this. But the problem is the same: maybe someone owns the actual email address they gave as random example, and would suddenly be listed as the access recovery address for my mailbox now.
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Old 2 Oct 2015, 03:52 PM   #2
FredOnline
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Have you had a look in your account settings?

Click on your e-mail address (top right) and select My Account/Sign-in & Security.

Seems far fetched to me that you've inadvertently created a recovery e-mail address in another domain.

I would imagine that tens of thousands of others have the exact same thing that you did.

But why, if you have a Gmail account in the first place, would you not want to have a recovery option?

If the reason is that you don't trust The Evil Google, then just don't use them.
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Old 13 Nov 2015, 10:35 AM   #3
Tsunami
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I forgot to actually follow up on this one. In My Account/Sign-in & Security, in secondary email address (recovery email address) there is an option to enter a secondary email address for password recovery. I don't see an email address there, but an option to enter a secondary email address.

I assume this indicates that there is no secondary email address for password recovery as yet? (or can there be more than 1 email address to which password reset mails can be sent?)

PS: this option where one can choose to enter a secondary email address, is in the same area of the screen where one can fill in a telephone number (that option was there too ; I did not see any telephone nr nor email address listed, only options to enter a number or secondary email address)
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Old 14 Nov 2015, 12:26 AM   #4
just1acc
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tsunami View Post
...realised that maybe there actually IS someone who owns the email address you(AT)emailaddress.com and who would now be the secondary email address that can recover access to my account.

....email address has been installed for my Gmail account?
Really? I mean really?

On topic :

All Settings: https://myaccount.google.com
Consolidated data mined by Google: https://www.google.com/settings/dashboard

Off topic :

If you have that much trust issue with Google, please choose other services.
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Old 18 Nov 2015, 08:11 AM   #5
Tsunami
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown
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Without wanting to hide behind that or use it as an excuse, but I have anxiety disorder and often get overconcerned ... I am not wanting to use it as an excuse but I just want to point out that the question would have been there if a similar situation occurred with a different provider.

Anyways, I realise that the question occurs to be odd, often I realise that myself too... after the anxiety wears off, but that sometimes can take a few hours.

But regardless of that, this was my follow up and I do think this question makes sense to ask, regardless of any condition (see below) ; I apologise if the initial question appeared a bit odd.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Tsunami View Post
I forgot to actually follow up on this one. In My Account/Sign-in & Security, in secondary email address (recovery email address) there is an option to enter a secondary email address for password recovery. I don't see an email address there, but an option to enter a secondary email address.

I assume this indicates that there is no secondary email address for password recovery as yet? (or can there be more than 1 email address to which password reset mails can be sent?)

PS: this option where one can choose to enter a secondary email address, is in the same area of the screen where one can fill in a telephone number (that option was there too ; I did not see any telephone nr nor email address listed, only options to enter a number or secondary email address)
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Old 19 Nov 2015, 06:37 PM   #6
chrisretusn
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Join Date: Aug 2006
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I have a secondary address with Gmail. Glad I do. A couple of years ago I was on vacation visiting with family in another country. After a couple of weeks of accessing Gmail, Google decided that my activity was suspicious. Why it took them two weeks is anyones guess. Have that secondary email allowed me to "verify" it was really me, allowing me to continue to use Gmail. It would have been not good to not have email for the following six more weeks before heading home.
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Old 20 Nov 2015, 01:09 AM   #7
just1acc
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Quote:
Without wanting to hide behind that or use it as an excuse, but I have anxiety disorder and often get overconcerned ... I am not wanting to use it as an excuse but I just want to point out that the question would have been there if a similar situation occurred with a different provider.
I apologize if my previous reply was little bit harsh. I think its pretty secure and ease of mind having 2FA/Secondary recovery email in case something wrong happens. I've never got anything other than OTP in my mobile from google/related advertising service.

For such good-reliable free service, some non-intrusive advertisement is pretty reasonable.

Last edited by just1acc : 6 Dec 2015 at 12:16 PM.
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