# Gmail's "notifications" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 27, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmails-notifications/963556 "2022-04-27T19:09:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmails-notifications/963556/1 "2022-04-27T19:09:31Z")
So I want to contact someone whose website says “click on name to get email address” instead of just listing the fucking email address. First mistake Then I get a popup telling me to choose an email. I hit “Gmail.” Second mistake. Then it makes me type in my full gmail address and password, which is a mouthful. Third mistake. Then I get another popup telling me that a message will be sent to my phone. Nothing comes. Fourth mistake. after waiting five minutes, I hut “send another notification.” Fifth mistake. I go through several iterations of this process. A half-hour of WAITING TO SEND AN EMAIL later, I give up and search for a phone number and I finally get the person’s number rather than his email address address. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmails-notifications/963556/2 "2022-04-27T19:20:40Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > So I want to contact someone whose website says “click on name to get email address” instead of just listing the fucking email address. First mistake > > Then I get a popup telling me to choose an email. I hit “Gmail.” Second mistake. You get choices? Bill Gates feels that every time I want to click the mailto: link that I **need** to use Outlook with my Microsquish account that I only have because I needed one to install Windows. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmails-notifications/963556/3 "2022-04-27T19:38:36Z")
Are you absolutely certain you weren’t just phished? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmails-notifications/963556/4 "2022-04-27T19:55:50Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > So I want to contact someone whose website says “click on name to get email address” instead of just listing the fucking email address. First mistake You probably clicked on a “mailto” link. This is a hyperlink of the form `mailto:name@website.com`. If you right click it will let you copy the email address right then and there. If you hover over it the bottom of the screen should show you the email address. If you are on a touch screen device you can long press to copy the email address. If you click the button it should open your email application. (Mailto is standard. There is a mailto address at the bottom of this very page, where it says “Contact Us”.) > [@Roger\_That](#): > > Then I get a popup telling me to choose an email. Assuming you are on a Windows device, this is probably the email application bundled with Windows, these days it is called “Mail”. The website had nothing to do with the popup, it is _your_ computer doing that. > [@Roger\_That](#): > > I hit “Gmail.” […] Then it makes me type in my full gmail address and password You probably use your internet browser to read your email and don’t use Windows Mail. So the popup you saw was Windows asking you to setup Windows “Mail”. I’m sure they asked if you wanted to use a Microsoft or “Live” email. > [@Roger\_That](#): > > Then I get another popup telling me that a message will be sent to my phone. This is Google’s doing. They get a request to authenticate you but when they pull up your account, they noticed that in all your years you have never used Windows Mail. So they send you a text message to make sure it’s really you and not some hacker that got your password. > [@Roger\_That](#): > > Nothing comes. […] after waiting five minutes, I hut “send another notification.” Can’t help you with that. Google may have the wrong phone number linked to your email. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmails-notifications/963556/5 "2022-04-27T20:07:02Z")
Thanks. This whole fucking thing always seems way complicated beyond any usefulness. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2022, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmails-notifications/963556/6 "2022-08-09T18:18:38Z")
Sounds more like these are issues with the website you are on, and not Gmail. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmails-notifications/963556/7 "2022-08-09T18:25:07Z")
It really sounds like you got phished here… ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmails-notifications/963556/8 "2022-08-09T18:49:52Z")
I know two-factor authentication is supposed to be the bee’s knees, but I hate it. I had a similar experience to the original post just trying to get Google Maps to work on my wife’s phone.