If a Google verification text does not arrive, first check whether Google actually sent an SMS or offered a different challenge. An absent SMS option and a delayed message are different problems.
Read the current sign-in screen
Google may send a prompt to an eligible device instead of a text. It can also withhold SMS for a particular request when the sign-in appears different or the verification requires a stronger method.
Check the masked destination and country code if a text is being sent. Do not request a code to a number you no longer control.
Check message delivery
- Confirm that the phone and mobile plan support incoming text messages.
- Check signal, service status, and any message filtering or blocking.
- Allow for delivery delays before requesting another message.
- If you resend, use the newest code for that request.
Google says delivery speed and availability vary by location and provider. If a voice-call option is offered, it is another supported choice; it cannot be assumed to appear in every account or challenge.
Use an established alternative
Select Try another way when available and use a previously configured prompt, Authenticator code, backup code, security key, or passkey as offered.
Do not disable 2-Step Verification to diagnose delivery. Do not buy a public SMS number or ask an unknown person to receive the code.
Consider recent number changes
Google’s current guidance says a newly added 2-Step Verification phone number may take up to seven days to become trusted. Recovery-phone changes have their own transition behavior. A general account phone edit does not guarantee the correct number is configured for every security use.
For verifying certain new sign-in methods, Google requires an already trusted passkey or physical security key instead of a code. Waiting for an SMS will not satisfy that particular challenge.
If no method remains
Use official account recovery from a familiar device and browser. For a managed work or school identity, contact the administrator. After access returns, maintain an independent backup method so a future carrier or phone problem does not remove every way into the account.
Official references
Reviewed against Google’s official guidance on October 27, 2026. Available options and screen labels can vary by account, device, region, and organization policy.