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I want to turn off the security mechanism of gmail for my account so that it never ever asks me "you're logging from a strange place. We'll send an sms to your phone or call it and you're to enter the code you'll receive". I mean, never ever. No matter what country I'm in or continent.

How can I do this?

Actually, I want more:

  • no requirement out of the blue to provide a phone once I've registered and logged in or have used it for a while.

  • No 2FA

  • No other kind of security bullish: additional email, the name of a dog of my teacher, the size of my neck. Not at all.

  • No physical keys or android applications.

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  • 3
    Changing your question mid-course is highly unfair to those that have spent the time answering it. Please do not do so in the future. The correct approach would be to ask a follow-up question to this one and cite this one via a link.
    – jonsca
    Jun 26, 2017 at 2:21
  • Google isn't going to allow people to open their email like that. They've progressively moved to better protect Gmail accounts because most people don't know how. If you don't want Gmail's protections, find a different webmail service. There are plenty.
    – ale
    Jun 26, 2017 at 11:28
  • @jonsca, I'll do so in the future.
    – Jodimoro
    Jun 26, 2017 at 14:48
  • I feel your pain, this came up from a search, after gmail won't let me sign in without my phone, just because I'm using my laptop at my mum's house. Same device, location in same city. Ridiculous!
    – ingredient_15939
    Apr 19, 2018 at 11:24
  • By the time (late 2020) this works for my Gsuite account: webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/148716/…
    – Aleš
    Jan 12, 2021 at 14:01

2 Answers 2

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Google will not disable this security measure.

However, you can make verifying your identity easier by using something like the Google Authenticator app or using a physical security key.

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  • I think that by using the same device laptop/mobile device used recently to access Gmail will not trigger the verification.
    – Rubén ♦
    Jun 24, 2017 at 16:15
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    it will let you, but you have to go the long way around. before deactivating 2fa, you need to set up all 3 recovery options and pledge a kidney, since all firstborns were pledged to Microsoft when Vista came out
    – hlecuanda
    Jun 26, 2017 at 1:35
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    Please keep the discourse in the comments civil. I have removed them for now, because I have no idea what was at that link. If you need to say something, please say it directly, but politely. Let the votes sort out who has answered the question "properly".
    – jonsca
    Jun 26, 2017 at 2:23
  • @Rubén It will if the device has been physically relocated, e.g. bringing a laptop on vacation.
    – jpmc26
    Jul 30, 2019 at 6:14
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Yes, it can be done, although it is not recommended in the least, given the amount of information and access that. Gmail account is the key to.

Dont do it!!! 2FA is the responsible thing to do.

Yes it can be annoying, even inconvenient if you're caught without your phone and needing access, but we humans suck so much at memorizing passwords, and we suck even more at keeping USB tokens and YubiKeys secure. So Google offers a "lower friction" alternative :

If it bugs you so much they now offer the alternative to "prompt" you on your phone, using some sort of technology now indistinguishable from magic enchantments instead of entering a code you get a screen with a login approval message and a huge yes/no button pair.

you still want to disable it?

OK, just don't go blaming anyone when a snot nosed Russian kid empties your accounts which you didn't remember were tied to your Gmail account for ease of access to your credit union's website, and do the following :

  • head over to my account / signing in to Google / account recovery

  • make sure you have registered

  • recovery mail

  • Recovery phone (this will only be used for account recovery when you get locked out of your account) it's a matter of when, not if ;)

  • Security question.

As a matter of convenience, Google will not allow you to disable 2FA unless you have all 3 recovery options defined.

Now , you may head over to 2-step verification options and disable first the phone, then the codes, effectively disabling 2FA. For some reason it won't let you disable the phone last. It has to go first, before any other alternatives you may have had active there.

BEFORE closing the deal, consider trying the Prompt, it may be suggested right there:

try the prompt! It's less annoying!

yup, updating way too fast to a dff question. good luck

way too fast on the edit

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  • 1
    This disables 2 factor authentication, not location based authentication
    – Zach Saucier
    Jun 26, 2017 at 1:37
  • updated my question.
    – Jodimoro
    Jun 26, 2017 at 1:53
  • All of this is undesirable if you don't want to give Google your phone number.
    – jpmc26
    Jul 30, 2019 at 6:16

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