Scroll down past this very long graphic.
It may be long, but interesting for you to take a look.
Security is a big deal on the web. With your bank, store sites, email, and yes, my favorite Google. If you’re like most people, you probably use Google for just about everything – from searching the web to checking your email to finding directions. And that’s why it’s so important to keep your Google account safe from prying eyes. We have looked at setting up a secure, hard to figure out password before. I have also shown you about Two Factor Authentication (2FA) which you should use wherever it is available.
There is another very important part of Google that you may have never heard of or ever used. It is called “Google Devices.” I feel that this naming by Google is misleading. You would think it meant you have one or more devices supplied by Google. However, that is not quite right.
It actually is a listing of any device you have that you have given Google access to. You can see phones, computers, tablets, Chromebooks, etc. that you are currently on, or were signed into your Google Account. After logging into your Google account or even email, go to google.com/devices to see where you, or even a person you are not aware of, may have signed in to your Google account.
Check the list of devices that you have logged into Google with, meaning your username and password have been entered on them. Most likely all are fine. I checked mine this morning and there were over 40 of them. I started deleting them but figured I would grab a screenshot of it to show you what it looks like. (See the graphic at the top of this page.)
Mine showed I had 19 sessions on Windows computer(s) logged into, some iPads, a few other Android tablets, etc. Now wait just a minute. I do not have 19 computers that I have logged into in the past 28 days, which is the default time it shows. However, I have logged into the same computer at least 19 times in that amount of time. That is a record of each time I logged out of my Google Account on that computer and logged back in later. So, even though the number of notices on Google Devices seems high, it could be multiple logins on the same device.
When you look at them, they will show something similar to one of mine. “Windows, Poinciana, FL, USA, November 10, 8:56 PM, First sign-in: Sep 14.” It shows where and when your account was signed in. If you click on that linked information, you will get more regarding that connection. It will even advise if they believe it could be someone other than you. If it shows you are still logged into that device, you may also choose to sign out of it to be safe. If you click around in there, you will find more information from Google to help you remain secure.
One other place to check is, myaccount.google.com/permissions. This Google Site is like the Devices area. The difference is that it shows you third-party apps which you gave your account access to. If you no longer use them, you can remove their access.
For instance, I had many sites and applications I had used once or twice and never again for testing. One was, Start.me, which I had to sign into with my Google credentials to use. It is a neat site, but I no longer use it. So, I clicked, “Remove Access” and they are no longer connected with me and my Google Account.
In conclusion, checking which apps and devices have access to your Google account is a quick and easy process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can ensure that only the apps that you trust have access to your account.
For more detailed information on both, visit ghtech.site/DeviceInfo and ghtech.site/3rdparty.
