EDIT: You know, after some time to cool off, Google Authenticator 2FA can still be enabled and isn’t being phased out like the less secure SMS 2FA, so it’s really not the end of the world here. The chance of permanent lockout is avoided, even if the whole Google Prompt system is still wack.
The problem is they are turning OFF the SMS and instead sending a special dialogue to a nonexistent device for the user to hit a prompt. The device was never used, though, and it was never set up for 2FA. My default has always been SMS which they are now disabling.
Deprecating SMS authentication is a good thing, in all honesty. SMS is not a secure form of data transfer, and is trivially intercepted. You can buy and setup an illegal Stingray device relatively easily, and capture basically all wireless data from a phone within range.
That said, if the device was truly never used for 2FA, then there wouldn't be any push-based 2FA on the account to begin with. Unless there's another device that's been authenticated with your account somewhere, like an old phone. In which case, that's where your login requests are being pushed to. That's a setting that can only be enabled by successfully authenticating with a device at least once in the past.
If there was never any other authenticated device, then that setting on your account isn't there. Enabling that feature is a two-step process, and step 1 involves configuration on a local device before it can be enabled remotely on your account.
SMS could potentially be a secure form of Data Transfer if companies weren't allowed by limp dinosaur legislators to gut your phone for any useable data with a simple app, but yeah I can see how it's current state is lackluster.
You're wrong, btw, the Google Prompts feature is Default and cannot be turned off.
The SMS vulnerability is not because of your apps. It's because of the LTE protocol itself. It can be intercepted or redirected without touching your phone.
Only if there's a previously-authenticated device. That setting can't be enabled without a key, and one of the required keys is produced locally by a logged-in device (which is why your device is trusted to stay logged in indefinitely). If enabled without a key, it's nonfunctional and should error itself out and revert to a disabled state.
If that somehow hasn't happened (which, in all honesty, would be very surprising to learn) and the setting is enabled on your account, then that'd be something you'd need to submit a request to Google to have fixed, otherwise you have zero recovery on that account.
Are you a thousand percent sure you've never had any other device logged into that Google account? When you attempt to log in, it should show you the device name it's sending the request to. For instance, when I log into my Gmail from an Incognito window right now, it says to check my Pixel 6 Pro. What's it saying for you?
No, I'm telling you, it's on by default when you purchase a Google Device. It doesn't need to be set up.
What device does it say it's sending the request to?
A device. The fact that any device is getting a google prompt and it cannot be disabled is the issue.
Right. I think you can see where I'm going with this. The fact that you're being dodgy with the question is making me question your motives with this post.
So, what device? You don't have to tell me the name, but describe it to me. Is it the device that you flashed a new OS onto?
It's not constructive to answer your question instead of explain the situation to you for the 8th time. There is only one device and it was wiped and can never be recovered, not even by restoring the OS, but the Google Prompt is still the default option forever now. I found this mildly infuriating.
The best solution is to use something like Google Auth since only the SMS is being phased out. Do you understand now or de we need to repeat this again and again?