In my case I had a recovery email set for my account and knew the password. I didn’t have any 2fA on but when I would try to log in Google just decided it didn’t recognize me and I needed phone verification - it wouldn’t use my recovery email. I had lost access to the number they were trying to use so I am forever locked out. I’d even get attempted login prevented emails at my recovery email.

Similar experience with one of my accounts and it seemed totally absurd that me giving them a phone number that has never been used for the account somehow verifies that I am the owner. It's clearly an attempt to extract more data from a desparate user.

> In my case I had a recovery email set for my account and knew the password.

Same here, the only thing I did wrong was use Linux + Firefox + change country

edit: it was a great lesson though got me out of google products after that, everything bar Android itself and very rare niche searches (hoping linux phones get good enough for daily drivers)

Just to chime in, Google will happily ignore your recovery email if your fingerprint has changed significantly. This happened the last time I moved, and it's very irritating.

As an aside. I have made it a point to simply login to my google sock puppet accounts annually from my desired location simply to avoid these such lockouts.

Their primary denominator seems to be ISP. I also use a linode instance for many as wel. Gives me two locations.

Disclaimer: I don’t think anyone can really speak to the google ai, decision making process. But I do know at least one appeal has silently been allowed in my case.

I actually have no reason to be stuck here because all these years, I was easily able to reset the password by verifying with a code on my phone number. It does send a code now as well, but then it's asking me to also verify the code being sent to the same email.