It is hard to imagine that one day in the morning, you might find your Google account blocked forever. Permanent blocking cannot be bypassed. The fact that a person will be upset is to say nothing. One can prepare for tremendous inconveniences.
The deeper the person is integrated into the Google ecosystem, the greater the consequences of blocking. For many users, a permanent ban is more than just an inconvenience, the effect can be devastating. Blocking means that a person is deprived of access to many services that he uses on a daily basis. Here are just a few of them: Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, and Google Pay. This indicates the complete removal of all playlists on YouTube, termination of access to music stored on the Google Play Music cloud. You will have to re-purchase all apps in the Play Store, including movies and books.
The good news is that the vast majority of users have never encountered their own Google profile blocking. However, similar cases are already happening now. As part of the note, there is a desire to acquaint the reader with this problem and provide as much information as possible about the methods of personal protection. At the end of the material there will be tips that will help reduce the harm from blocking the profile if something happens.
Google can actually block any account
Perhaps someone will be surprised after this news, but in fact, Google has the full and legal right to close the account. To understand all the rules of service, privileges and requirements, you should read the full “Terms of Service”. In fact, all you need to know is the following line:
“We may suspend or terminate the provision of our services to you in the event of a violation of the terms, policy of using the service, or upon detection of suspicious behavior.”
To make it even clearer: Google can stop the service or completely close access to any account if the company does not like something.
In an official Google document it says that the company can block the account in the event of abuse or interference with its services. At first glance, it seems that Google cares about the people around them and prohibits the use of services for other than their intended purpose. This may include Play Store hacks to get free apps. It also appears that Google is primarily protecting its own products from DDoS attacks.
With all this, it is worth understanding each word more broadly. Still, Google has full authority to believe that someone is using the service incorrectly. User power and all means of support are often completely useless. In other words, Google has all the power over the account and nothing can be done about it.
In a recent example, a lot of YouTube users have their Google accounts blocked (not just YouTube profiles) for sending spam in an emoji video stream. However, the owner of the channel independently asked to fill up his video with emoticons. Google definitely shouldn’t have gone to such drastic measures and completely blocked the account. Yes, the company activated all user accounts, but this happened after the proceedings and only a few days later. Already many people were beginning to worry about their data.
This example illustrates why you need to be careful and stay informed.
A banned Google account can be devastating
Not everyone even understands how big a role Google services play in their lives. Gmail alone has 1.2 billion active users, which is about 15% of the world’s population. The mere realization that anyone can lose access to Gmail can cause panic.
However, the consequences will be much greater for owners of Android smartphones. A blocked Google account means that the smartphone is no longer able to function properly. After blocking a profile, access to data synchronization, downloading applications, receiving timely notifications, etc. is lost. The only way to eliminate the consequences is to create a new account, but everything will have to start from scratch.
Just to fully understand the severity of the situation, below is a partial list of services that are owned by Google and cannot be used without access to a personal Google account.
- Android;
- Chrome;
- Chrome OS;
- Wear OS;
- Chromecast;
- Google Home;
- Google Nest;
- Google Wifi;
- Documents, Sheets and Presentations;
- Google Drive;
- Google Play Store;
- Gmail;
- Stadia;
- Google maps
- Google Fi;
- Google Fit;
- Google Pay;
- Google Photos;
- Adsense;
In addition to limited access to the listed products, in which most of the functionality will be inaccessible, the data from the previous account will also remain inaccessible. This can lead to the loss of some or all important documents, interesting photos, emails, etc. If you used Google Wifi, you will not even be able to connect to your home Internet.
Although there are tons of examples in the world of Google unexpectedly banning people, most users will most likely never see a ban. If this happens, the following actions are worth taking.
What to do if your Google account is banned?
If your Google account is locked, there are chances for it to be restored. There are several ways to get your account and data back, they don’t work 100%, but it’s definitely worth trying.
The first thing to do is to determine the reason for blocking your account. It’s easy to do, just try to log in with your Google credentials. Most likely, the blocking message indicates its reason. Instructions for restoring the profile will be displayed right on the same page. If you click on the “Try to recover” button and follow the instructions, there will be a chance to return everything to its place.
The good news is that Google allows you to file appeals to combat erroneous account bans.
If you see any error messages after trying to recover, you can file a complaint directly with Google. Enough to go to this form and completely fill it with information. Helpdesk usually responds to appeal requests within two business days.
While waiting, it is worth trying to download some data associated with the account. It is enough to open applications that you often use: Google Photos, Google Drive and others. After entering a blocked page, it’s worth examining it. Some of the services offer instructions for uploading personal data in case Google rejects the appeal.
Unfortunately, in case of a negative decision on automatic appeal, Google also handles all manual requests. And nothing can be done about it. If blocking is illegal, you can try to gain popularity on social media. Perhaps Google will change its mind and lift the ban to avoid bad press. In any case, the appeal process is the last resort, then the person remains independent.
It is worth being vigilant and not keeping everything with Google.
The risk of being banned from Google is pretty low, so it usually doesn’t threaten law-abiding people. If the profile is not used in criminal or heinous acts, you can consider yourself relatively safe. However, Google’s comprehensive reach in most aspects of e-life makes you think that the company can take everything at any time.
The best way to protect yourself is to prepare for an account ban, which means not relying entirely on one company. If an unexpected ban ever hits, it won’t do that devastating damage. Still, no one is immune from blocking, even following Google’s rules, there is a possibility of a ban, as evidenced by the example with emoticons.
The best recipe for protection is creating multiple accounts and backing up your data regularly.
For example, if you store a large number of photos and videos in Google Photos, you should create backups on your computer’s hard drive. It is better to carry out a similar procedure with Google Play Music songs, with working reports in Google Docs, files in Google Drive. Even in the case of rare backups, it will be possible to save at least some useful data when locked.
An alternative method is to use multiple accounts for different Google services. For example, you can make a profile for the “smart home”, which is used to communicate with devices Chromecast, Nest, WiFi and others. Another account can be used to store all the media. If someday one of the accounts gets blocked, the damage will not be so colossal.
Both methods are inconvenient and contradict the idea of easy access to all Google services. However, numerous cases of illegal account bans and complete control over electronic life on the part of the company should make people think about personal safety.