There is a problem with Google sign-in, or rather, with how many websites have implemented it.
The other day, I wanted to log in to one of my social media accounts, but I couldn't remember the exact email address I had used to create it. Since I had never set up a password for that account, I couldn't just try logging in with one.
So, how could one figure out which email they used?
One way is to look for the welcome email you received when you first created the account. But what if you've deleted it?
If you're using Gmail, there's another option: open your inbox, find the label section (usually in the sidebar), and click "Manage subscriptions." Scroll through the list and, if necessary, check the subscriptions associated with each email address you use. If you're lucky, you'll find the service you're looking for and figure out which email to use to sign in.
With Outlook, you can try something similar by opening Settings using the gear icon, searching for the subscriptions section, and reviewing the subscriptions associated with that email address. If you use multiple Outlook addresses, you'll need to check those too.
But what happens when you don't know that the "Manage subscriptions" feature exists? Or when you've checked everything and still can't find the email you used?
You're left guessing… hoping that whichever email you try will be the right one.
And here's where things get frustrating.
On some social platforms, if you guess the wrong email, the site doesn't tell you that no existing account is associated with it. Instead, it simply creates a brand-new account for you.
Like… why?
I wasn't trying to create a new account. I never asked for one, nor did I explicitly approve creating one. I just wanted to sign in to my existing account!
This brings us to a situation where you find yourself managing an account that you never intended to create. You might even have to set up a password just to go through the process of confirming that you want to delete it.
And the unsettling part… All of this could have been avoided at the login stage.
What's worse is that many users might never bother to delete these unwanted accounts. They'll simply leave them sitting there, potentially receiving newsletters, notifications, and other emails they never signed up for in the first place.
I think websites should consider requesting explicit confirmation before creating a new account through Google or Microsoft sign-in. I might be the only one who's run into this… but it can be a challenge for people using multiple email addresses for different purposes and relying on social login.
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