What is a linked account?
Definition
A linked account is a connection between your account on one service and an app or service from another company, so the two can share sign-in or data. You can usually review and remove the link from the account's settings.
- Category
- Identity
- Also called
- connected account, linked app, account linking
- Last updated
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
Sources checked: support.google.com
Last verified against the official page:
A link lets two services trust each other. You might use "Sign in with Google" to log in to a shop without creating a new password, or connect a music service so a voice assistant can play your songs. In both cases the second service gets some access to the first, or the other way round, and the link stays until you remove it.
Google's help pages describe two kinds. With Sign in with Google, you use your Google Account to sign in to apps from other developers, with no new password to create or remember. With Google Account Linking, you connect an app so Google gets access to your account there, for example so it can use that app's features. Google says you can review and update your linked apps at any time.
Removing a link has a clear effect. If you stop using Sign in with Google for an app, Google stops automatic sign-in to it, but this doesn't delete your data on the app. If you delete an account link, Google loses access to your account on that app and features that need the link stop working.
Why it matters
Links pile up. An app you tried once in 2019 may still be able to read the data you shared with it. If that service is breached or sold, what it holds about you goes with it. Reviewing links is a quick way to shrink who has access to your accounts.
Linked account vs. shared password
A proper link hands the other app a limited permission, not your password. Giving an app your username and password directly is riskier, which is why Google stopped supporting that for Gmail in third-party apps.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Review your linked apps
In your Google Account, open the linked apps page and check each app. Select one to see what it can access.
- 2
Remove links you don't use
For Sign in with Google, choose the app, then Stop using Sign in with Google. Deleting the link doesn't delete your data on the app, so close that account separately if you want it gone.
- 3
Read what an app shares before you link
Google advises reading the developer's privacy policy to see what the app shares with Google, and checking what data you're about to give access to.
- 4
Find out where else your details are listed
Old accounts leave traces on sites you've forgotten. Serus finds where your address and phone number are listed and removes them.
See it in action
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
Does unlinking an account delete my data?
Not by itself. Google says removing Sign in with Google doesn't delete your data on the app. Delete the account on the other service if you want that.
Is Sign in with Google a linked account?
Yes, it's one type. It lets you sign in to other developers' apps with your Google Account instead of a new password.
Where do I see which apps are linked to my Google Account?
In your Google Account's linked apps page. Pick an app from the list to review it or remove the link.
Sources
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