Good news, you can remove a Google Account from your phone
remotely to keep your information secure. Below, we'll cover how to remove a
Google Account from a phone whether you use Android or iOS, and whether
you have that phone in front of you or not.
Google Account vs. Gmail: What's the difference?
A Google Account syncs your data across Google applications
like Docs, Calendar, Gmail, Drive, and more. A Gmail account is specific to the
email platform, though the email address is often your Google Account login.
You can make a Google Account with any type of email
address. But new Gmail accounts automatically come with a Google Account under
that email address.
Why would I remove my Google Account from my phone?
There are plenty of good reasons you may want to remove a
Google Account from your Android device or iPhone, but for the sake of brevity,
we’ll keep it to these four common ones.
1. Lost phone
People can do all kinds of things with personal information
on a stolen or lost phone. You can log out of your Google Account(s) remotely
in this situation.
2. Moving on from Google
Google apps are convenient, but there are many other
options. If you move on from Google, you can delete your account to make a
clean break.
3. Selling, gifting, or trading in your phone
If for some reason you’ll no longer be the owner of a phone
where you’re logged into your Google Account, you may want to wipe that phone
clean and remove your account before handing it off as an extra security
measure.
4. Switching which account you want on your phone
Maybe right now, you have your work Google Account set up on
your phone, but you want to remove it because you’re switching jobs or you want
more work-life balance. Or maybe you have your personal Google Account on your
phone, but you’d rather leave it off and just use computers or tablets to use
Google’s products like Drive, Photos, and more.
Access your Gmail inbox and track contacts and deals on the go with the
Streak mobile app. Try Streak free for 14 days.
What happens when you remove a Google or Gmail Account from your phone?
Removing a Google Account from your phone will sign you out
of Google's apps like Gmail, Maps, and Calendar. You can still use some
functionality as a signed-out user in some apps like Google Search and Maps.
However, be aware that you'll lose any contacts you've
synced with your Google Account. The same goes for any photos that are in your
Google Photos library and not on your phone.
Signing out on an Android phone limits you a bit more than
an iPhone. This is because Google Play is the main app store for Android
devices. Signing out of Google means you can't get new apps unless you use an
alternative app store.
What doesn't happen when you remove a Google Account?
Removing your Google Account doesn't delete any Google apps
from your phone. You can open Gmail and resume where you left off by signing in
again. If you want to completely remove all Google data, you'll have to delete
the apps, too.
How to remove a Google Account from an iPhone
Here’s how to remove a Google Account from a phone with an
iOS system in four easy steps:
Open the Gmail app.
- Tap
your profile photo in the top right.
- Tap Manage
accounts on this device.
Tap Remove from this device.
If you have an older iOS version, you might also have an
option in your phone settings called Passwords & Accounts. You can
find your Gmail account listed there and click Delete Account.
New Google Accounts automatically come with a Gmail address.
That's why using the Gmail app to remove your account is the simplest option.
But if you originally signed up for an account with a different email address,
you might not have a Gmail login.
In this case, you can go into other Google apps, tap your
profile picture, and then click Manage accounts on this device. This works
in Google Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Drive, and Photos.
Other apps, like Google Search and Maps, don't show this
option. Instead, there's a button that says Google Account. You can click this
to view logged-in devices and remove them.
How to remove a Google Account from an Android phone
While an Android mobile device depends on Google a bit more
than an iOS device, you can still remove Gmail and all other account data.
Here's a step-by-step guide for how to remove a Google Account from a phone
with an Android system:
Open the Gmail app on your Android mobile phone.
- Tap
your profile photo in the top right.
- Tap Manage
accounts on this device.
- Select
the account to remove from this device.
- Tap Remove
account at the bottom.
Depending on your system version, you might also be able to
remove Google Account functionality from your phone settings. Navigate to Passwords
and Accounts, select your Google Account, then tap Remove Account.
As we mentioned above, when you remove Google Account
access, you also lose important Google services like Google Play.
If you want to avoid syncing data with Google, but still
keep Google Play, you can make a new Google Account with a different email
address. Sign into Google Play with that new account, and use it to get apps
for your phone going forward.
How to remove a Google Account remotely
You can easily remove Google Account access remotely from a
desktop computer. We highly recommend doing this if your phone is lost or
stolen. This also works for signing out of Google apps on someone else’s smart
TV, too. Here's what to do:
Open Gmail or go to Google.com and sign into your account.
- Click
your profile photo in the upper right.
- Click
on Manage Google Account.
- Click
on Security.
- Scroll
to Your devices and click Manage all devices.
- Choose
the device(s) you want to sign out of.
- Click Sign
Out.
This works whether the device is a mobile phone, smart TV,
computer, tablet, or other device.
When to avoid removing a Google Account
Before you remove your Google Account, make sure that’s
truly the right next step based on the outcome you want. For example:
- If
you want to maintain Google Play access, remember that removing your
Google Account from your Android device stops access to
Google Play. You might want to create an alternate account just for Google
Play access.
- If
you want other Google apps, consider keeping your Google Account. Without
one, your phone won't get updates from other apps like Google Docs or
Google Calendar. Only a few options like Maps and Google Search work
without an account.
- If
you’re selling or giving your phone to someone else, it's best to do a
full factory reset on your phone rather than delete your Google Account
because you may want to use that Google Account on future devices.
- If
you’re just annoyed by Gmail notifications, you can turn off Gmail
notifications within your phone’s notification settings instead of
deleting Google entirely.
Now you know how to remove a Google Account from a phone
Whether you need to secure your emails or just want out of
the Google ecosystem, it's easy to remove a Google Account from an iPhone,
Android, or desktop device. In most cases, simply access your profile through
Gmail, and you’ll be able to manage your accounts following the steps we
outlined earlier in this article. If you need an extra hand, check out this support page from Google. Good luck!