Can’t access your Google account after forgetting your password? Your loved ones can now help you get it back. The company announced on October 15 the launch of new security tools, including “Contacts to recover your account.”
As the name suggests, this feature allows you to designate members of your address book (family or friends, preferably) as “recovery contacts” to help a user who is having difficulty logging in because they forgot their password, lost the device containing the passkey, or simply because their account has been compromised.
These trusted people will be able to help verify your identity “when standard recovery methods fail,” Google says in a blog post. Users can designate these recovery contacts from the Security section of their account, in the “How to sign in to Google” box.
Protect yourself from scams and hackers
The company will also allow Google account holders to regain access with their phone number. A new feature aimed at people who have lost, broken or had their smartphone stolen. On your new Android device, your phone number will automatically identify your account as soon as you enter the unlock code from your old phone.
This new option is also available from the “How to connect to Google” section. Simply tap “Recovery Phone Number” to add (or change) one.
These features are part of new Google tools aimed at better protecting users from scams and hackers. To this end, the company has also implemented “more secure links” in Google Messages. In case the app suspects that a message is a scam, it will warn the user when they click on the link to prevent them from opening it unless it explicitly states that it is not a scam.
Also in Google Messages, Key Verifier protects users against identity thieves and scammers by verifying that a message comes from the right person. This is done using a QR code (attributed to a trusted contact), which both participants in the conversation must scan on their smartphone.
Source: BFM TV
