By Tim O. · October 19, 2026 · 12 min read

Google and Apple Recovery Contacts: How to Set Them Up for a Parent (2026)

Last verified: October 19, 2026

When a parent gets locked out of an account, the cause is usually an ordinary change in their life that their account settings never caught up with.

A new phone. A phone number that was switched to a cheaper plan. An old email address from a provider that no longer exists. A password written on a card that went missing. Then one day Gmail or the iPhone asks to confirm it's really them, and the code goes to a number nobody has had for years.

That's usually when you get the call.

Google and Apple now offer a better safety net: a recovery contact. It's a person you trust, like you, who can help your parent prove who they are if they ever get locked out. You never see their password. You can't read their email or photos. You simply confirm a short code when they ask for help.

This guide shows how to set it up for a parent on Google and Apple, how to tidy up recovery details on Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL accounts, and what to keep on paper. Set aside about 20 minutes, ideally sitting next to your parent with their phone in hand.

The 20-minute checklist

Work through these with your parent. Each one has its own section below.

Google: add you (or another trusted person) as a recovery contact, and check the recovery phone and recovery email.
Apple: add an account recovery contact on their iPhone or iPad.
Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL: make sure the recovery phone and email are current.
Backup codes: print a fresh set for any account that uses two-step verification, and store them with important papers.
Write it down: which accounts they have, which email each one uses, and who their recovery contacts are. Keep this list somewhere safe, not on the fridge.

How to add a Google recovery contact

A Google recovery contact is a trusted person with their own Google account who can help your parent get back into theirs. Your parent can add up to 10. The contact gets no access to Gmail, Photos or anything else in the account, and does not receive your parent's security alerts. Their only job is to confirm a number when your parent asks for help.

Set it up on your parent's account (phone, tablet or computer):

Open their Google Account settings and go to Security & sign-in.
Under How you sign in to Google, tap Recovery contacts. Google may ask them to sign in again.
Tap Add recovery contact, enter your email address, and tap Send request.

Google's own guide, with pictures, is here: Add, manage & use recovery contacts.

Then accept it on your side. You'll get an email showing your parent's name, email address and profile photo. Open it in Gmail, tap Review request, then Accept. The invite expires after 7 days, so do it the same day.

Plan ahead: after you accept, there is a 7-day waiting period before you can be used for recovery. Google also won't let anyone add a recovery contact while they are already locked out. Set this up while everything still works.

What happens if your parent gets locked out of Google

A failed sign-in takes them to Google's account recovery page.
They choose the option to get help from their recovery contact and tap Get number.
They call or text you with that number. It expires in 15 minutes.
You'll see three numbers on your phone. Tap the one that matches.

If Google wants more proof, it may put a temporary hold on the account and notify your parent, so they can stop a recovery attempt that isn't theirs.

A warning to share with your parent: you will never call them out of the blue asking for that number. Only they start this process. If anyone else asks for a Google code, it's a scam.

Also check: recovery phone and recovery email

In the same How you sign in to Google section, tap Recovery phone and Recovery email.

The phone should be the number your parent actually has today. Google says not to use a Google Voice number, and changes can take up to 7 days to take effect.
The recovery email should be one they check, and different from the Gmail address they sign in with. Yours is a reasonable choice if they don't have a second address.

Who can't use recovery contacts: Google Workspace accounts (work or school) and accounts in Google's Advanced Protection Program can't add them, and neither can supervised child accounts.

How to add an Apple account recovery contact

Apple's version works the same way. A recovery contact can't see anything in your parent's Apple account. Apple describes their role as "only the ability to give you a code." Your parent can add up to five.

Before you start, check three things:

Your parent's iPhone or iPad runs iOS or iPadOS 15 or later (a Mac needs macOS Monterey 12 or later). Older devices on the account may need to be updated or removed.
Your own Apple device meets the same minimum.
iMessage is turned on for both of you, since the invitation arrives in Messages.

On your parent's iPhone or iPad:

Open Settings and tap their name at the top.
Tap Sign-In & Security, then Recovery Contacts.
Tap Add Recovery Contact and choose you from their contacts. Follow the prompts to send the invitation.

On a Mac, the path is System Settings > their name > Sign-In & Security > Recovery Contacts.

Apple's own guide is here: Set up an account recovery contact.

On your side: accept the invitation that arrives in Messages.

What happens if your parent gets locked out of Apple

They start account recovery on their device after a failed password reset.
They call you, or you sit with them.
On your device, you get a six-digit recovery code for their account and read it to them.
They enter the code on their device and set a new password.

Apple doesn't keep a list of who your parent's recovery contacts are, so write it down. Without a recovery contact, Apple's account recovery still works, but it can take longer.

Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL

Microsoft (Outlook, Hotmail, Windows sign-in)

For a Microsoft account, the recovery email and phone (Microsoft calls them security info) do most of the work.

Sign in at account.microsoft.com/security with your parent's account.
Select Manage how I sign in.
Remove any old number or address they no longer have, then select Add a new way to sign in or verify and add their current phone or a second email. Microsoft sends a code to confirm it.

Microsoft notes that adding a new phone number isn't available on every account. If that option is missing, add a second email address instead. Yours works.

Microsoft's own guide is here: Microsoft account security info & verification codes.

Yahoo and AOL

Yahoo and AOL accounts also depend on an up-to-date recovery phone and email. For a Yahoo account:

Sign in to the Yahoo Account Security page.
Under Ways of signing in, choose Add email or Add phone number, then follow the prompts to verify it.
Remove any old number or address, using the trash icon next to it.

In the Yahoo Mail app, the same settings are under the profile icon > Manage account privacy > Your privacy controls > Security.

Yahoo's own guide is here: Add or remove a recovery method. AOL's screens may look different; if they don't match these steps, follow AOL's own help pages.

Watch out for fake support numbers. If your parent searches for help with a Yahoo or AOL account, they may find phone numbers posing as official support. Yahoo's own help pages say support comes through email, chat or help articles, and that any support site you use should have a web address ending in yahoo.com. Teach your parent never to call a support number they found in a search result.

Print backup codes and keep them with important papers

If your parent uses two-step verification on Google, backup codes are a second way in when their phone is lost. Google gives a set of 10 codes, and each one works only once.

In their Google Account, go to Security & sign-in > 2-Step Verification > Backup codes.
Print the codes, or download and print them.
Store the page with their passport, will or other important documents. Not in a phone note, and not in an email to themselves.

If the codes are lost or used up, tap Refresh to make a new set. The old set stops working automatically. Google's advice is plain: don't share backup codes with anyone.

If your parent would rather keep everything in one place, a password manager with a family plan can hold backup codes, shared logins and notes like the list above, with you able to help when needed. Our guides to the password manager your mom will actually use and moving from a password notebook explain the options.

Three things not to do

Don't ask for your parent's password. Recovery contacts exist so you never need it. Knowing it makes you responsible for their account and trains them to share passwords.
Don't make your phone their only recovery number. If your number changes or your phone is lost, both of you are stuck. Use their own phone first and your email as the backup.
Don't set it and forget it. Recovery details go out of date quietly.

The once-a-year check

Pick a date you'll remember, like a birthday or the start of tax season. Spend five minutes confirming:

The recovery phone is still their number
The recovery email still works
Their recovery contacts are still the right people
The printed backup codes are still where they should be

If your parent needs a new password while you're at it, our free password generator creates one in their browser, and nothing is sent to us.

Frequently asked questions

Can a recovery contact read my parent's email or see their photos?

No. On both Google and Apple, a recovery contact can only help confirm a code. They get no access to the account's contents, and on Google they don't receive the account's security alerts.

How many recovery contacts can my parent have?

Up to 10 on Google and up to five on Apple. Two is a good number: you and a sibling, or you and a close friend of the family.

Can I add a recovery contact after my parent is already locked out?

No. Google doesn't allow it during account recovery, which is why this is worth doing now.

Does the recovery contact need a Google account or an iPhone?

For Google, yes: they need their own Google account. For Apple, they need an Apple device running iOS 15, iPadOS 15 or macOS Monterey 12 or later, with iMessage turned on.

What if someone calls asking for my recovery code?

Hang up. Your parent starts recovery, and they contact you. A stranger, or a caller claiming to be Google, Apple or a bank, asking for a code is running a scam.

Is this the same as a legacy contact?

No. A recovery contact helps a living person get back into their own account. Planning for what happens to accounts after someone dies is a separate setting, covered in What Happens to Your Online Accounts When You Die?

Before you go

Twenty minutes now saves a stressful afternoon later. If you only do one thing today, add yourself as your parent's Google or Apple recovery contact.

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Sources

Checked 19 October 2026.

Written by Tim O.

I write about password security and everyday account safety at SafePasswordGenerator.net, for people who want practical steps rather than fear for its own sake.