![\"Gmail](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760874729_955_960x0.jpg\")
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Google introduces new Gmail account recovery mode.<\/p>\n
SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Updated October 19 with a new lock screen recovery feature specifically for Android smartphone users, as well as a warning from Check Point Software security experts regarding the potential dangers of the Recovery Contacts update being rolled out to all Gmail users, regardless of platform.<\/p>\n
With a new Google two-factor authentication code theft warning<\/a> hitting the headlines, the threat of being locked out of your Gmail account has once again moved to the forefront of security-minded users of the world\u2019s most popular email platform. Google itself has not only confirmed updates mitigating the latest 2FA threat, but has now gone one step further by introducing a new security feature. This feature is designed to help if the worst happens and you find yourself locked out of your account due to hacker action, device loss, or password amnesia. Here\u2019s everything you need to know about the recovery contacts setting that is rolling out as I type.<\/p>\n ForbesGoogle Suddenly Updates Chrome \u2014 What You Need To Know And DoBy Davey Winder<\/a>Locked Out Of Your Gmail Account? Google\u2019s Recovery Contacts Feature Can Help<\/p>\n With attacks against Google accounts, and that means your Gmail account as well, spiking by 84% across the past year, according to Google<\/a>, with password-stealing email threats the prime culprit, taking account recovery<\/a> seriously is long overdue if you have overlooked it so far. <\/p>\n However, as Claire Forszt and Sriram Karra from Google\u2019s Identity and Engagement team, have now confirmed, even if you have taken steps to help recover an account you can no longer access, such as by way of one-time SMS code, for example, \u201cthat can be hard if you lost your phone or haven\u2019t updated your recovery phone number.\u201d<\/p>\n Which is why Google is rolling out a brand new security feature called Recovery Contacts<\/a> to reinforce the Gmail account recovery precisely at those times of most stress when you need help immediately. <\/p>\n The Recovery Contacts setting enables Gmail users to choose trusted contacts, family members or close friends to provide help if ever they find themselves locked out and unable to receive a recovery code for any reason. \u201cIt\u2019s a simple, secure way to turn to people you trust when other recovery options aren\u2019t available,\u201d Forszt and Karra said.<\/p>\n ForbesLastPass Warns Of Hack Threat, Says \u2018Do Not Change Master Password\u2019By Davey Winder<\/a>Google Also Confirms New Gmail Android \u2018No Verification\u2019 Lock Screen Recovery Feature<\/p>\n The Gmail security updates are coming thick and fast, it would seem, and that\u2019s got to be a good thing. The latest in the form of a confirmation from Eugene Liderman, Google\u2019s director of Android security and privacy, along with John Gronberg, the product management director. \u201cYou can now regain access with your mobile number,\u201d the Google security and safety posting stated. That might not sound much of an advance, but anyone who has been locked out of their Google account for whatever reason will surely be pleased to hear it. After all, the loss of a smartphone, whether through an account or by theft, or even breakage, can be stressful enough without having to worry about the impact that could have on access to your Google account and your Gmail as a consequence. \u201cTo make recovery on a new Android device easier,\u201d the posting confirmed, \u201cwe\u2019re introducing Google’s Sign in with Mobile Number<\/a>, which automatically identifies your accounts using your phone number.\u201d<\/p>\n Google’s Sign in with Mobile Number in action.<\/p>\n Google<\/p>\n Like all good security features, this one does not add cumbersome hoops for you to jump through, but removes them instead. \u201cAll you need is the lock-screen passcode from your previous device for verification,\u201d Liderman said. Yep, that\u2019s right; no password required. \u201cWe are introducing this gradually worldwide,\u201d Liderman concluded, \u201cwatch for it on a phone near you.\u201d<\/p>\n ForbesThis Gmail Recall Stops Sent Messages From Being DeliveredBy Davey Winder<\/a>Check Point Software Expert Warns Of Potential Gmail Recovery Contacts Hacking Threat<\/p>\n While I am 100% supportive of Google adding the Recovery Contacts feature to its armory of Gmail user defenses, some security experts have sounded an alert regarding a \u201csense of safety that isn\u2019t always justified\u201d that such features can create. Those were the precise words of Aaron Rose, a security architect with the office of the chief technology officer at Check Point Software, said. \u201cIf users believe Google\u2019s new warnings and recovery methods will catch everything,\u201d Rose told me, \u201cthey may let their guard down against more subtle or AI-generated scams.\u201d I mean, Rose has a point, especially given the evolution of deepfakes that are getting harder and harder to detect. But in my never humble opinion, that doesn\u2019t mean this is a dangerous security feature; it just means that users need to remember that there is no such thing as a silver bullet in security, and the basics of threat awareness need to remain in place alongside such settings. <\/p>\n ForbesUpdate Microsoft Windows Now \u2014 New 2 Week Security Deadline ConfirmedBy Davey Winder<\/a>Set Up Your Gmail Recovery Contacts Option Now<\/p>\n Setting up Recovery Contacts is simple enough, although Google has said that the feature is still rolling out, so it may not yet be available to you. You can check if it is and start the process by clicking this Google account link<\/a>. <\/p>\n Check if the Gmail Recovery Contacts setting is available to you now.<\/p>\n Google<\/p>\n Once you have chosen your trusted contacts, if you need help with recovering your account, you share a code with them and, Google said, \u201cthey will get an email or notification and can confirm it\u2019s really you by verifying that code, helping you securely regain access to your account.\u201d<\/p>\n Obviously, you should only select someone you can trust 100%, but Google advised that the recovery contact never actually has access to your Gmail account or any of your personal information. There\u2019s nothing to lose, except access to your email account if the worst happens and you haven\u2019t prepared in advance. So, what are you waiting for?<\/p>\n ForbesTikTok Users Warned Not To Accept This VIP Upgrade OfferBy Davey Winder<\/a>Google Introduces The Be Scam Ready Game To Help Protect Gmail Users<\/p>\n Google has announced a new security awareness and education resource, based upon inoculation theory, to help protect Gmail users from potential harm. Inoculation theory, in essence, suggests that a process of pre-exposure to harm can help bolster protection against it. OK, that\u2019s really simple, so don\u2019t crucify me. A more detailed explanation is that exposing someone to a weak counterargument helps make the individual less susceptible to persuasion before it can take place. The Be Scam Ready game, Google has said, \u201cimmerses users in real-life scam and fraud scenarios in a safe, interactive setting.\u201d In other words, it exposes users to common scam tactics to raise awareness and help them. Google said, to \u201cdevelop the critical thinking skills needed to identify and avoid fraud in the real world.\u201d You can start playing now here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Google introduces new Gmail account recovery mode. 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