Gmail Security Info

Gmail accounts take time to secure because they're very sensitive to location and device changes, Google's account security is really sensitive to any changes at all really. There are specific steps you have to follow to secure a gmail account without locking it or risking a lock.

IF YOU IGNORE ANY OF THE BELOW INSTRUCTIONS / INFORMATION, THERE IS A NON-ZERO CHANCE THAT THE ACCOUNT WILL GET LOCKED. I AM NOT TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ACCOUNT LOCKS IN THE EVENT THAT THEY OCCUR.

Logging In For The First Time

The first device you should use to sign into the account is your phone, not your pc. You should use the official gmail app and use home/cellular IP, not a vpn. Sign into the account and when you are asked, choose to send a recovery code to the seller's email. Ask the seller from the code and enter it in.

Now you might be given a screen that asks for a phone number to verify the sign in, you can use your own number usually but there have been 1-2 times this didn't work so if you're unsure you can ask the seller for a number to use.

Don't sign in anywhere else for 30 days, only leave it on mobile. After 30 days the gmail account finally gets used to your location and then you can sign in to your PC and other devices.

What To Do After Signing In

After you signed in on your phone, you can change the recovery email and password immediately, and add 2fa/phone number if you want, but nothing else. Don't read any old emails, delete emails, send emails, add a DOB to the account, or make any other changes to the account for at least 30 days.

Make sure you use the same general location on the account for the period it takes to get used to the location and devices. Use your residential location if you can.

Go to your security settings every 1-3 days and make sure the shield icon is green with a checkmark on it. Click "Review Security Activity" and for each entry in the list, if it says "Do you recognize this activity?" click "Yes, it was me". This process helps google get used to your location as trusted.

After The 30 Day Period

When the 30 days are up, you can spread out making changes to the account over the next short time. For example change the name on one day, then wait a few days, then enable 2fa (if you haven't yet), then wait a few days for the next change, etc.

When you sign in on PC you might be forced to add a birthday, to avoid this sign in at google.com instead of gmail.com, if you get the birthday prompt still just close the tab and open google.com again in a new tab, you'll see you're signed in. If you want to add a birthday (make sure you do this after the 30 days), add a birthday below the year 1990.

@googlemail.com Address Info (Optional)

Every gmail account comes with the matching @googlemail.com email as well. By default, you can receive to this email, but not send from it. If you want to enable sending from your @googlemail address, follow these steps:

  • Make sure the 30 days have passed for account security and you're signed in on PC
  • Once you're signed in on PC, you can visit https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#settings/accounts
  • From there, find the "Add another email address" option, and enter the gmail username @googlemail.com in the popup that appears.
  • Keep "treat this email as an alias" checked and click Next
  • Then, under "When replying to a message:", select "Reply from the same address the message was sent to"
Edit
Pub: 22 Nov 2022 18:53 UTC
Edit: 20 Dec 2023 06:02 UTC
Views: 1029