I'm signed in to five Google accounts on my phone. Whenever I use an incognito window in Chrome, Brave, or another browser to sign in to one particular account, Google always asks me to confirm that I'm not a robot. Tapping the checkbox usually passes immediately, but I have to repeat it every time. On another phone using the same Wi‑Fi, that account sometimes requires a full image CAPTCHA, while signing in over mobile data may trigger the simpler checkbox instead. The account has no 2FA, recovery email, or phone number, and only one active session. My other four accounts sign in normally. I don't use a VPN, and adding the account to the phone's account settings didn't stop the CAPTCHA requests. These accounts are mainly used to sign in to a site and claim daily rewards, and the problem began unexpectedly after months without issues. What could be causing this for just one account?
1 Answer
CAPTCHA decisions are based on several risk signals, not just whether the device or Wi‑Fi is familiar. Incognito gives Google very little stored browser information, so it relies more heavily on the IP address and the account’s history. The IP’s reputation, repeated logins, number of accounts being used, unusual sign-in patterns, and the site’s daily reward activity could all make this particular account look automated or suspicious. That can also explain why Google sometimes accepts the checkbox instantly and other times requires image challenges. Adding the account to the phone may help with sign-in verification, but it does not necessarily remove an account-specific risk flag.
The fact that this started with only one of the accounts suggests its history or recent activity is probably the main difference. Repeatedly signing into several accounts through incognito to claim rewards can resemble scripted or bulk activity, even if a real person is doing it.