Google just rolled out Recovery Contacts, a new feature that lets you designate trusted friends or family to help verify your identity when you're locked out of your account. The move comes as part of Google's broader security push, introducing mobile number authentication and enhanced scam protection across its platforms. For the millions who've been locked out after forgetting passwords or losing devices, this could be a game-changer.
Google is quietly revolutionizing how we think about account recovery. The company just announced Recovery Contacts, a feature that lets you designate trusted people to confirm your identity when standard recovery methods fail. It's rolling out now for personal Google accounts and represents a major shift away from the traditional security question model that's frustrated users for years. The Recovery Contacts feature appears in your account settings under Security, though Google hasn't detailed exactly how the verification process works. What we know is that designated contacts can somehow confirm your identity to help you regain access after getting hacked or losing your password. The company describes it as providing "a simple and secure way to regain access when standard recovery methods fail," according to Google's security blog. But Recovery Contacts is just one piece of a larger security overhaul. Google is also launching Sign in with Mobile Number, an Android-specific feature that automatically identifies your Google accounts using a linked phone number. This targets a specific pain point - users who need to recover their account on a new Android device after losing their previous one. Instead of wrestling with password recovery, the system asks for your old device's lock-screen passcode. It's being rolled out gradually worldwide, suggesting Google is taking a cautious approach to deployment. The timing isn't coincidental. Account lockouts have become increasingly common as security measures tighten across the industry. Traditional recovery methods like security questions have proven vulnerable to social engineering attacks, while backup email addresses often become inaccessible themselves. Google's approach acknowledges that your social network might be more reliable than your memory of your first pet's name. These features arrive alongside other security enhancements that show Google's broader anti-fraud strategy. The company is rolling out new Google Messages features that warn users about suspicious links in text messages, potentially redirecting them away from harmful websites. There's also a new designed to help users verify contacts and avoid impersonators. The move puts ahead of competitors in social recovery methods. While offers Account Recovery Contacts for similar purposes, and has various recovery options, 's implementation appears more streamlined for mainstream users. The company's massive user base - over 2 billion Google accounts globally - means this change could impact how the entire industry approaches account security. For users, this represents a fundamental shift in how we think about digital identity verification. Instead of relying solely on information you know (passwords, security questions) or something you have (phone, email), is adding "someone you trust" to the equation. It's a recognition that our digital lives are often more intertwined with our real-world relationships than traditional security models acknowledge.
