How to change Google Phone number from landline to cellphone (Possibly not right forum)

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HaggisKiwi

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#303773 8-Mar-2023 15:35

Apologies for posting in wrong forum.

A bit of an annoying situation, my elderly mother currently has her 'Not verified' local New Zealand landline listed as the Google Phone number.

If I go to verify, change or delete the number I'm met with "There was a problem with your phone number" because Google can't send a text to the landline. Selecting 'More ways to verify' only presents "Get a verification code at landline".

I can't make any changes to her account without getting past this verification method.

Any clues how I can get the landline deleted and replaced with a valid cellphone number?

Thanks in advance.

FineWine

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Nurse (R)

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#3047471 8-Mar-2023 15:47

I googled this search criteria:

how I can get the landline deleted and replaced with a valid cellphone number on google

and got this top result: Change the phone number on your account & how it's used

Hope this is what you are after.

Perhaps deleting that landline then sign out. Wait to you receive all the google security emails, then sign back in and add the new number.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

HaggisKiwi

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#3047525 8-Mar-2023 16:22

Unfortunately trying to change or delete existing number just goes back into the endless loop of Google trying to send a txt to the landline.

richms

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#3047529 8-Mar-2023 16:55

They used to call the number and have a robot lady read the code out to you when I last had a landline in a google product. I do recall in some places it would fail and there was a more ways to do things option and one of them was a phone call.

Richard rich.ms

HaggisKiwi

94 posts

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#3047534 8-Mar-2023 17:20

>They used to call the number and have a robot lady read the code out to you when I last had a landline in a google product. I do recall in some places it would fail and there was a more ways to do things option and one of them was a phone call.

That seems to be the case on initial login (ID > PW > Verification). There's an array of verification options with callback as the second.

Unfortunately once you're logged in it frustratingly only gives the option to send a SMS.

HaggisKiwi

94 posts

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#3047550 8-Mar-2023 17:43

FOUND SOLUTION THROUGH AN INOBVIOUS FIX

At the top of the Phone number screen you can edit or delete the existing number, but as per the problem you can't get a SMS code to a landline.

Down the bottom of the same screen is a link to Account recovery. Enter password to get to Recovery phone screen. Delete the existing number (no extra verification requested), replace & verify the new cell number via SMS.

Go back & refresh Google Account Phone number screen to see new number in place.

All fixed.

shk292

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#3047551 8-Mar-2023 17:44

You could port the number to a VOIP provider that allows SMS reception. (Only half kidding)