We can't verify your phone number right now. Try again later. SOLVED!

In a previous article I told you about the start of Google Play Console developer account verification, this for accounts created before September 2023. The verification process started in May of this month and depending on the verification deadline you have chosen, you have 60 days to verify your developer account, and, if you don't do it before the selected deadline, your developer profile and your apps will be removed from Google Play.

Of course nobody wants that to happen, if that's your case, I share with you the solution I found and that I have checked with other people to whom it has also worked, I hope it works for you too, if so leave me a comment.

The phone number verification error

It turns out that there is a huge, bold and capital BUT that many developers worldwide have suffered, and that is that during the verification process we are faced with the following terrifying message:

And no matter how hard you try to request a message or call to receive the verification code, you will get the same error over and over again, day after day, week after week until you lose your mind because your developer account is at risk and may be deleted if you don't verify it.

But how can you verify it if the platform does not allow you to do so?

My (initial) experience verifying my developer account

My verification date started on August 8th, I was excited and ready to do it. To do so, I start like this:

1. I choose my account type.
2. I create a new payment profile.
3. I confirm my address.
4. I put my web site.
5. I enter my contact name.
6. I Enter my contact email.
7. I Verify my email address.
8. I enter my contact phone number.

And that's where I get stuck, because it says it can't verify the phone number at this time and to try again later.

• I check if I put the prefix and the phone number correctly, all correct, I proceed to request a call and the same error.
• I close everything and start again the verification process of my Play Console developer account, this time entering another phone number, but I don't succeed either, same error.
• I heed the message and try again later, many hours later and the error persists.
• I try the next day and still no success.

And so I was a couple of weeks while researching about the error and if other users had the same thing, what a surprise to realize that many developers worldwide have the same error and even more to discover that the error dates from last year, 2023, you can read it in the Google community.

What is this error about?

If we see technically in the browser console, the problem we initially encountered is a temporary error (Error 400 - “Error checking preconditions”). But after several attempts, we start receiving Error 429 - “Too many requests”.

At this last point, the only option is to wait for the system to reset, as it will continue to display the same error no matter what phone number you use. While for some users, this reset occurs after one day, for others, it may take 10 days or even longer. It is advisable to be patient and avoid further attempts, as each attempt may reset the timer.

What are the possible solutions?

While researching about this error, I found a number of possible solutions from other users, I share them with you:

• If you encounter error 400, stop immediately and try later.
• Choose the call option instead of SMS to receive the verification code.
• Enter a different phone number.
• Clear browser cache and cookies.
• Try in incognito mode.
• Try from another browser.
• Try from another device.
• Wait 72 hours (ideally a week) to try again.
• Create a support ticket asking for help with this error.

I have tried each and every recommendation, nothing had worked and the support ticket to date has not been answered.

The Solution to verify your phone number

DISCLAIMER

It is as simple as:

Yes, just as you read, if you encounter the error:

We can't verify your phone number right now. Try again later.

Then do not put in a phone number from your country, even if it is from a different phone company because you will get the same message.

Suggested options for receiving the verification code

My initial suggestion is that you receive the verification code by SMS, of course with the phone number of a developed country, personally Spain has worked for me without problems and for this you have 3 options:

1. Ask a family member/friend who lives in that country to help you receive the code on their phone number.
2. Buy a virtual number to receive SMS.
3. Use temporary toll free numbers to receive SMS.

I continued with the strategy of taking a risk and opted to use a free temporary number, I recommend Quackr, as they are 100% real VOIP numbers and with a company behind them. There you will find different numbers from Spain to choose from, all of them work.

About the contact phone number

The contact phone number will be used only for Google to contact you and will not be displayed on Google Play.

That is, for verification with the respective code sent to that phone number.

How I verified my Play Console developer account

After 3 weeks of waiting, simply placing a phone number from another country and at the first attempt the verification code has been sent via SMS to the virtual number where I received it in a few seconds and I have verified it in the Play Console.

The rest of the procedure to continue with the verification does not present any error, it will only depend on the documentation you send to validate the verification of your account.

Conclusion

The error “We can't verify your phone number right now. Try again later.” can be really frustrating as you might lose your developer account, but with the right solutions, you can overcome this barrier quickly. By following the above steps, you are likely to solve the problem and complete the verification of your number and thus your account without any major inconvenience.

I hope I helped you, if you have any doubts, we'll read each other in the comments 😀

Si quieres conocer otros artículos parecidos a We can't verify your phone number right now. Try again later. SOLVED! puedes visitar la categoría Google Play Console.