Is it possible to regain access to my recently disabled account with my recovery email address only?

Question

There doesn't seem to be any option that actually works¹. I describe what I've explored here. After some time, my personal opinion is that this UI is a crafted dark pattern, and I don't know whether the recovery email way even works.

Is it possible to reactivate with my recovery email address only?

However if I follow the link they ask whether I've forgotten my username, my password, or other. "Other" is what applies - that leads me to this page:

I have a recovery email address set and I can't understand why cannot I use it.

If I tell the form that I don't remember my username, and enter my recovery address and a CAPTCHA, Google keeps telling me that I "may have added this [...] when [I] signed up". I guess this may have something to do with that my recovery address is also a Gmail address (was not a very wise idea, it seems, eh?).

At first I've thought that I mistyped the CAPTCHA but, after doing more than ten recognition cycles, still didn't get through. I'm sure I got the CAPTCHA right more than once.

I didn't explore all the options though. For example the first recommendation is to reset my password from a device I recently used to sign in, with options 'continue' and 'cancel'. I didn't use a device other than this computer recently to sign in so I've clicked 'cancel', I wonder what they mean by 'device' and what would happen if I clicked 'continue'.

Well, I don't really want to reset my password anyway, I just want my account re-enabled. If it takes resetting my password, I may do that. However, I can't see why should I add my phone number, when I have a recovery email set. The Help clearly suggests that a recovery email provides me enough security to recover my account. But this doesn't seem to be the case. Also the page that requests my phone number says that it needs it in order to 'immediately' restore my account, suggesting that there are perhaps ways to 'not immediately but eventually' restore my account.

What to do to recover access to my account without providing my phone number?

Is it even possible?

---

(1): The non-phone options are already well hidden, although they're visible enough for plausible deniability for a claim such us 'they are not providing alternate options'.

(2): I've already given my phone / address twice. You see, my phone number is not exactly a secret. On the other hand, I can't see why should I provide it when I also have a recovery email address set. I think Google demands too much and I don't like it because they don't play honest: the way they formulate their help text suggests that I can recover my account with a recovery address set.

Answer 1

tl;dr: click continue at to reset my password from a device I recently used to sign in and answer the not-very-secure questions presented to you, they will send you a mail.

long version

After reading this answer by icantchooseoneRising:

icantchooseoneRising Nov 2 with there being around 450 million gmail users , there is no number to call if you use free gmail nor any direct email or other type of tech support - its simply not possible

You can only reset your password by one of these methods:

1. Having email sent to a recovery email address that you have registered in your account

2. Having a code sent to the mobile number you have registered in your account

3. For some accounts, answering a security question.

4. filling in the recovery form

for 1 2 3 click here

select I forgot my password

for 4

Start here - www.google.com/accounts/recovery

Choose "I forgot my password"

Enter the account name that you are trying to recover

Solve the Captcha if one is offered to you

Choose "Verify your Identity"

Complete and submit the form

for more info See the following article about how to recover a lost or compromised account: http://gmailaccountrecovery.blogspot.com/

I've decided to try and click continue on to reset my password from a device I recently used to sign in, well, I've used my computer...

to my surprise it asked me to enter the last password you remember

then it asked to Enter an email address where we can contact you - note that it didn't ask what is my 'recovery email address' (neither it should, based on my username they should know already), nor even my username...

After that it asked me again what was my last password, the date when the last tiem I could log in (today..), and the date when I registered my account (ages ago...).

I don't know what to think but it sent the recovery email to the address I've given.

I was able to recover my account.

On the first login, it tried to trick me again into giving my email address, but there was a "cancel" button...

Now I wonder if it didn't enter to this form the same address that is my recovery email address, would it still send the help email? Because then I think it is very insecure.

The reason why they don't allow me to log in with my password should be that someone else may be knowing my last password. So they can enter it too.

They ask for an other email address, not my username nor my recovery email address. If I could give any address here, then the remaining questions are the last time I could use my account, which is not very hard to guess if someone is an attacker; and when did I register. This one can be tricky, but really, there are not many combinations. With a little inspection, information and luck, one could make an educated guess.

So it seems what actually protects my account the strongest is my last password - the very thing that Google wants me to change. But until I change that, it seems that it may allow anyone with a random email address to take over my account, if [s]he can guess the time I've registered?!