Gmail account suddenly demanding telephone
 

I don't particularly like Gmail, and try to stay away from Google altogether, but I happen to have opened a throwaway Gmail account just to sign up for a forum, choosing Gmail because it doesn't require a telephone nubmer.

Then when I needed it again down the line, due to a problem with the forum, Gmail wouldn't let me log in without a phone number. What??? It doesn't have one on file for me to begin with, and now it won't let me in?

Do they verify the #??

What if you put in one that wasnt in service??

Do you have a Google Voice number associated with that account? I found that Google automatically added my Google Voice number as a backup phone number. Or, possibly they are picking up your phone number from some other Google product, like an old Hangouts account or something like that. In any case, I have just given Google my phone number and have only had one problem--when I changed my phone number Google insisted on sending login codes to the old number which was no longer under my control. It was difficult to get rid of the old number from the Google account. Moral of the story is to make sure you change any phone numbers on your Google account before getting rid of access to that phone number.
I wouldn't do that since you might have a problem like I did where Google insists on only using the phone number to confirm your identity. I had all the other options set up: alternate email address, one-time codes on the authenticator app, the Google prompt on my phone. But, Google would only send codes to my phone number no matter what I did.

Ya they are looking for ways to spam people/sell thier info which is why they want a #.......


What if one doesnt have a phone?? (Like me)

I don't think Google uses your phone number for anything but account verification. I get almost no scam phone calls anymore since both T Mobile and the dialer on my Pixel phone both block them. I don't think you can legitimately sign up for a Google account without giving a phone number, and as I wrote above if you use a fake one it might mean you get locked out of your account someday.

I signed into my test account from google.com page by clicking my avatar then choosing "another account".

After that, I get "protect your account". No recovery phone # but I do have an email. It's reasonable for them to require either one. Support is not going to help someone who can't identify themselves.

Update: When I go into Security Settings, there is a third verify option "security question".

I do have my phone # under Personal Info, but it doesn't transfer to Security.

I think you need a phone number in order to sign up for a new account, but you may be able to remove the phone number later. There is no customer service at Google, just an online automated system. Myself and others have found that the online system sometimes just doesn't work right, and there is no recourse. Having multiple backup security methods might be needed. In my own case, Google's automated system would not send a code to any of my already setup backup methods except for the phone number. I'm not sure anyone knows what triggers Google to lock people out, but it happens all the time.