Active users of Google products should be aware that the company can block their account at any time!
It’s hard to imagine that one day Google can permanently block your account, and you will lose everything related to it, including important documents and photos. Agree. It even sounds scary. But in fact, it is really possible, and no one is safe from such an outcome. But for some, blocking a Google account can be a serious problem that will affect all areas of life. Everything will depend on how much you are involved in Google’s proprietary ecosystem, what services the Internet giant use, and how often.
So what does a banned Google account mean? It’s as simple as that. A blocked account is equal to restricting access to all of the company’s services you’re used to every day, from Gmail and Chrome to Photos and Documents. Not only that, you won’t see all the videos you’ve saved on YouTube, you won’t hear music from the playlists stored in the cloud, and all apps, games, and movies you’ve previously bought on Google Play will have to be re-purchased.
Yes, most of us never know what a Google account lock is, but we should not forget that this is possible. And this article details why the Internet giant can ban your account, how to avoid it and what to do if the blocking did occur.
Google is really capable of baning any account if it wants to
This may come as a surprise to some, but the search giant actually has the right to disable the user’s account. Google’s privacy policy states that the corporation has the right to suspend or completely stop the provision of its services (read, block) if the user does not comply with the terms, violates Google’s policy, or is suddenly recorded as questionable and illegal actions on his part. Put, if Google doesn’t like the activity of your account, the company can easily and easily block it.
Few people thought that Google actually has more power over users of its services, which should be accepted. You don’t have to go far, for example. In 2019, Google considered spamming users’ messages consisting of emojis under a live broadcast on the YouTube channel Markiplier, and without unnecessary conversations, banned accounts. Yes, soon, the Internet giant, having sorted out the situation, unlocked accounts. Still, many users during these days had time to experience shock and have already said goodbye to all their data.
Turning off an account can turn into a disaster
Google has a lot of services, without which many of us no longer think of our lives. Among them is Gmail, which has more than 1.2 billion active users, and this is about one in six people on the planet. And the number of active users of all Google services in the spring of 2020 exceeded 2 billion.
That’s what about owners of mobile devices on the Android platform, who, as a result of blocking their account, will be deprived of the ability to synchronize data, download programs, and use many of the installed applications. The only way out is to start a new account, i.e., “reset” to start from the beginning.
In addition to Gmail, after the account is blocked, the user is deprived of access to all Google services and services without exception. These include Chrome and Google Play and Disk, Documents, Tables, Presentations, Contacts, Calendar, Maps, Google Pay, Chromecast, YouTube, Google Advertising, Google Analytics, and more. But this is not the worst thing. In most cases, you can also lose all the data associated with your account. These include photos, videos, files, contacts, and correspondence.
Is your Google account blocked? What to do in this case?
Even if Google has disabled your account, you can still try to get it back or access most of the data. First, you need to establish the reason for the blocking. Just go to your account and read the notification that comes in when you log in. On the same page, you can restore your account by clicking on the “Restore Access” button and following further instructions.
If your application to restore the disconnected account through the login page is rejected, you can contact Google directly. Just fill out a special form on this page. Typically, it takes a couple of business days for Google to review and respond to a request.
While waiting for a response from Google, which will come to the specified communication email address, you can try to download at least some data from Google services. You need to go to all the Google services you’ve used and take a closer look at the page that will open after you try to log in with a banned account. Some services will suggest clicking on the link to the app’s download instructions if Google refuses to re-access the account.
If Google responds negatively to a request to unlock your account, you’ll have to say goodbye to it. Yes, you can try to reach Google with the help of social networks and attract the media’s attention, but it is unlikely to lead to success if you are not a media personality.
A tip for all Google users
“Law-abiding” and decent users are 99% protected from disabling Google account. But that doesn’t mean you have to stop worrying about a possible lock. It is worth remembering that the “Corporation of Good” can at any time ban you and deny access to all content. The best way out in this case is to start several accounts for different services and remember the local backup. It will be more reliable to store photos in parallel in Google Photos and, for example, on the external drive. Of course, this directly contradicts the whole concept of a single account for all services and services, but all means are good when it comes to protecting and saving important data.
