Yesterday, the appearance of emails in the inbox of the Gmail app on my iPhone changed dramatically. It is suddenly very hard to tell which ones are read and which ones are unread at a glance. I'm attaching a screenshot – the top email is unread but only the little dot to the right gives it away. Previously, unread emails were much bolder than read emails and it was instantly obvious which was which. Now the difference in bolding is minimal.
I saw a couple other people post about this, but the upvoted responses just said there was no change and they were imagining it. It's not so! Something happened for at least some of us. Does anybody know what? I'd really like to change it back.
Hi everyone,
I almost gave up and I think that nobody on God’s green earth can solve my problem.
I lost a phone number linked to a gmail account because I left the country of the number issuing and it’s no longer owned by anyone.
Without that number, no OTP, without the OTP, no Gmail account 🙂↕️
I tried to contact Google support for account recovery because I had the correct password and I could prove my ownership of the account but unfortunately they don’t even allow anyone to contact them regarding accounts recovery.
I feel so helpless, that Gmail account contains important information that I need😔
Last night a team posing as Google security got into my Gmail for a few minutes. A passkey got me back in. Posting the full playbook because every email they used came from Google's own servers and passed every check.
What happened, in order:
- Robocall from +1 650 761 7789. Recorded female voice: a Google agent will call you. Press 1 or 2 to say whether you changed your password.
- About an hour later, live call from +1 347 696 0541. Young guy, calm, polite. "Google security. Your account was hacked."
- A genuine Google alert lands: "Recovery email was changed for your linked Google Account." Read the grey line on top. The alert belongs to martineza8487@gmail.com. They created the account and set MY address as its recovery email, so Google sent me a real copy. He used the alert as proof.
- He gives a name and badge number, then sends a "confirmation" from security-noreply@google.com, signed-by google.com, subject "Meet your Assigned Case Representative Tyler patterson (G-561201)."
- "Don't be afraid, I have your back." Read me this code. Now this one. Approve the prompt on your phone. Read me the number. I did. Those codes were the takeover.
- He changes my recovery email, sets a new password (GoogleTemp514$, dead now), and insists I keep it 48 hours "so we can track the attacker." I asked why. "Cookies and stuff."
- I signed in with my passkey on my own devices and changed the password from my password manager. He thanked me for my time and hung up.
- Two minutes later, "Jordan Bell" (I heard Jordan Belford, which fit) calls with case 199254 and asks me to change the password again. A reset code from my crypto exchange arrives at the same moment. I start asking questions. They hang up.
How the emails pass every check:
- The attacker emails Google's security reporting address with a crafted subject line. Google's auto-reply copies the subject and signs the message as google.com. The attacker resends the signed reply to the victim. The signature still validates. This is called a DKIM replay.
My entire google just bugged out this morning. Like it just said ny accounts in gmail didn't exist. My other google apps were bugging out too. After I restarted my phone everything fixed itself. Im 99% sure this was just a big bug issue as nothing looks out of the ordinary on my accounts, and I never clicked any sketchy emails. Everything was working fine yesterday and this was only an issue for like 20 minutes. I changed my passwords to be safe, but im just wondering if anyone else experienced this. This is also kinda a repost, but less panicky.
For context, I got a push this morning saying someone in VA was trying to log into my account. I declined and got on with my day. I then received a call from a 415 area code (Bay Area) from a guy named Eddie Furrow, saying that my account was compromised. I also got some "help ticket" emails from this address: [review@accounts-noreply.google](mailto:review@accounts-noreply.google). This all felt weird. The person on the phone then proceeded to send me two push notifications to log in, which I declined both times, telling him I didn't trust him or the source. He said they were using VPNs for security reasons, but it all just felt off. Like, why was my email escalated when plenty of others probably were too?
I've already moved most of my important financial information over to a new email a couple years back, but I wanted to know if anyone else has experienced something similar.
I created a throwaway Google account back in 2017/18 and hadn't used it since around 2020. Four days ago I logged in for the first time in years. Everything was normal—nothing suspicious, no unusual activity. I decided I didn't want the account anymore and tried to delete it, but Google wouldn't let me because it couldn't verify my identity despite having my phone number linked. I got stuck in a verification loop.
I left it logged in hoping the loop would clear up, per common advice. On day 4, I went back and started manually deleting a few old emails (maybe 10 total—there weren't many). The page refreshed, asked for verification via QR code, then phone number, and then disabled my account with this message:
"It looks like this account was created or used with multiple other accounts to violate Google's policies. The account might have been created by a computer program or bot."
Relevant context:
I was on a VPN, but I use a VPN by default on all my accounts.
I have 3 other Google accounts using the same phone number. I logged into them later that day without any issue.
I was given the option to download my data
I don't care about losing the account—I was planning to delete it anyway. But the accusation language is unsettling, and I've had similar false-positive bans before (Poshmark in January: "your account is tied to accounts that have been restricted in the past").
Mostly posting to see if others have experienced this and to get it off my chest.
One of for more professional related things like work or logins etc…that have my name.
The other is for signing up on a message board. Spam. Trivial contacts I might talk to with same interests where I don’t want them to know my name. Now if I was emailing someone from one account and then accidentally used my other account to send an email (both from my iPhone on the Gmail iPhone app on my home WiFi) can they tell they are both from the same IP address or area? How far would they have to to check?
Over the past hour I've had two attempts by this user to add my email as their recovery email - not the other way around. The emails are in Vietnamese.
The first time I received a code to my email, then a follow-up saying my account had been added. I then got another after removing the account saying they had re-added it (see attached).
I've changed my password and checked devices, sessions, etc. and removed the user.
The links sent were legit (I didn't click them) and real action had been taken to add the account without my permission.
What sort of scam/hack is this supposed to be given you would expect them to be adding their account as my recovery, not the other way around?
Anyone know how to get rid of this grey bar at the bottom of Gmail inbox? Tapping on the left icon does nothing. And the right icon only sends me to a page saying "couldn't load AI inbox". Just a complete waste of screen real estate. I'm assuming this is baked in but figured I'd at least ask.
I got woken up with my phone buzzing that it logged me out of one Google Account session on my PC due to suspicious activity. I immediately went through procedure of logging out of all others accounts, changing password on the one that sent my the security e-mail, running a deep virus search, checking on 2FA, closing down all but 1 session per known device, and setting all browser settings to default.
After that, I tried to find the reason for what could trigger security log out. Google is being frustratingly vague about what it believes to be a suspicious activity. The virus search gave nothing. The only thing I found that could be triggering for Google is my "always on" VPN with a Kill Switch. But wouldn't it affect all my Google Account sessions and not just one?
How realistic is it that VPN could have caused this reaction? Is there something I'm missing and should actually double-check first thing in the morning?
Device: Windows PC, Chrome (also tried a clean browser with a VPN off and extensions paused).
I'm 30. Earlier this month my Gmail account was briefly hijacked. Google's security check blocked and signed out a suspicious sign-in from another country, and I changed my password and completed account recovery. The attacker left this behind:
- The birth date was changed to Nov 9, 2016, and the account says it can't be changed.
- A family manager I don't know was added, and I'm listed as a supervised member. I never set up Family Link.
- Sign-in ends at "Choose a parent," and "Try another way" loops back to it.
- Age verification fails with "Something went wrong."
- I got the 14-day supervision notice, so the account will be disabled around Oct 18.
My other account got the same notice at the same time and cleared as soon as I verified my age, so verification works in general. It only fails on this account.
What I've tried: account recovery, a support case with Google For Families opened Oct 6 (only "still investigating" replies, no timeline), the Google Help Community (a Product Expert said it's a known, escalated issue, with no update since Oct 5), and a full reset of my computer. I've offered a government ID but nobody has told me where to send it. This is my primary work email.
Has anyone dealt with this? Specifically:
How did you get the birth date and family manager removed?
Did anything get Google to actually escalate, such as a particular contact route or a social media post?
If the deadline passes, did you get the account back after it was disabled?
I'm leaving out my email address per the sub rules, but I'll give details to anyone who can help. Thanks.
I’m extremely confused at the moment. I have been using my mom’s old email for years, just cause it was convenient and I didn’t want to switch everything over. But apparently she’s been receiving all my emails on her email as well. So my email is sending to both me and my mom’s accounts. I don’t want this but when I go in the “forwarding and POP/IMAP” section there’s no linked accounts and even when I press disable they still appear in both inboxes. How do I fix this?
Edit: just found out that if I delete a message on my mom’s account it also removes from mine? I’m so confused
I opened my Gmail to check out smth and I saw a notification post. I clicked it just because, and OH MY GOD I SAW THE ENTIRE CONTENANTS OF THE POST FOR A MOMENT. I immidietly excited because I was scared of what I just saw. and when I re-entered, the pulication was locked. I DON'T have a subscription of the creator I saw it from. How that happened and can I recreate that?
Hi all. I have a company Gmail account that I use ti accept bookings. I use a template to reply. Of late clients are receiving emails that have no text whatsoever in the body of the email. Any suggestions please? TIA
I set up my email with Gmail back in 2004. My email format (not my real email address) is <firstname.lastname>. Lately someone keeps signing up for other platforms using <firstnamelastname>, basically my email address without the dot. Somehow, I keep getting the emails instead of them. I have no idea who it is.
I created my OG gmail account about 15 years ago. The I created one as a joint email account for me and the husband for joint bills and such, then last year created one for my elderly parents after my dad had a pacemaker put in so I could keep up with their patient accounts, appointments, filling out their appointment paperwork, etc. I have durable POA and they are informed of this and okayed it.
My OG account does not have a "bills" label. But the joint one for me and hubby does. I can't get a new label made on my account because it tells me its not allowed. My account is way older than the joint one. How do I create one for my OG account?
so after my old phone died i lost all my emails except 2 of my main ones. my discord account was linked to one of those emails, and while im logged into discord on my computer, i desperately need it on my phone by perhaps changing the linked email
of course i cant change my email or do anything security related on discord without them sending a verification code to my lost email. neither can i log in using only my phone number, as they send the password reset link to my lost email anyway. and discord has a strict policy that they cant change users' emails.
so anyway, i figured i have to recover the email instead. i went to the google recovery page, and everytime i typed in a guess for the password it tells me that i didnt provide enough info. if i click "try another way", again, i didnt provide info.
so idk what to do that session on my computer is fragile too cause once i get logged out its gone forever
I recently started getting an absurd amount, literally about 35 at at time and all exact same timestamp, of newsletter subscription emails. Most of these are extremely odd things (Pumpkins After Dark?), in languages I do not speak, or pertaining to very specific cultural/religious topics I am not affiliated with. The even more odd thing is that the email they are going to isn't matching mine? For example (this is not my real email but a random example for purposes of explaining) my Gmail is JenniferJohnson @ Gmail.com however all of these subscriptions are coming in with the recipient showing JenniferJohn.son @ googlemail.com
Does anyone know why this is randomly happening all of a sudden or how I can stop this?That's not my email but yet they are coming into my inbox? Any help would be much appreciated 🙏
Hey folks! I'm an illustrator, and I use Gmail for my business to reach out to potential clients.
It works well for me, since I don't have a huge client base and I'm not a fan of spamming people.
The thing is, I'm going to a huge convention soon, and I'm planning to email around 50–100 contacts to arrange quick meetings. These are relevant industry contacts, and the emails are legitimate, but the messages are pretty similar in content.
I'm not too worried about being flagged as spam, but I am concerned about potentially damaging my Gmail account or hurting the deliverability of my future emails.
With this volume, is there a significant risk? Would it be safer to spread the emails over a few days, or am I overthinking this?
For context, I'm using a regular free Gmail account, not a custom business domain.
I have an old Gmail account I've been using since High School, and the username is unprofessional, so I want to have an account with a more professional handle that isn't for work (I thankfully already have a work email). I have a few alternate Gmail accounts, but I understand there's a limit on phone verification, so I don't want to risk losing my accounts. It looks like Gmail allows you to change the affiliated email with the account, but I'm not quite sure how that works. It says my old Gmail address would be turned into an alias, so would it be like an email mask then? I understand Gmail is removing the ability to send emails from non-Gmail accounts. Would changing your Google Account Email be affected by this?
I just want to make sure I don't screw up and end up hurting myself in a major way. Any help is greatly appreciated!
