How to set up a Google/GMail/GoogleDocs account without a phone number?

Question

How do I set up a Google account without a phone number?

I do not have nefarious reasons for doing so, I simply want to keep my phone number private. I have no reason to think any SaaS or Web 2.0 company will safeguard this information to my satisfaction, so I would prefer not to give it out. Also, if I change my phone number and decide not to update Google, I will eventually lose access to my Google accounts due to their security algorithms (but that's a story for another time).

In this particular case, I need a Google account for work purposes. Otherwise, I am trying to de-Google my life, so I should not need to do this process more than once.

About a year ago, I tried some of the free SMS verification websites, but both Google and Twitter seem to blacklist them.

This Q&A is 7 years old, and doesn't provide a solution. Also, enough has changed where Google always asks for a phone number. This Q&A was downvoted and doesn't have a solution either. Looking in an internet search (DuckDuckGo, actually), yields older methods that no longer work, or spammy looking sites.

Answer 1

Reading between the lines on this Google Support page, you cannot create a Google Account without having a phone number.

You can create multiple accounts that use the same phone number, but they don't mention the actual number allowed on the support page.

As they mention there, this is an effort to reduce the number of spam accounts.¹ If you're unwilling to give Google your phone number, you'll need to find another service.

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¹ It's also used to recover your account should you forget your password or worse happens.

Answer 2

Pretend you're 12, seriously. Google does not require phone numbers for children.