You could suck it up and do the phone number verification, it usually costs around $5 for a phone number.

Or you could go through the android phone sign-up process which doesn't require one. Buy a cheap android phone and keep resetting it and making a new account each time.

Or you could buy an account on the grey web from someone who already did this. Should be under $2.

If you are really into this you could become a phone company and own a whole block of phone numbers.

The whole point of avoiding the verification in my case is for privacy reasons... I don't want google or anyone else tracking what I do through the use of an account.

> Or you could go through the android phone sign-up process which doesn't require one

This is worse IMO because now the number is associated with that device forever. And unless I'm willing to risk my account to compromise from a future owner of the same number OR device, I must now keep both... forever.

> grey web

I don't want to give them my info either, nor have my account associated with sketchy individuals.

> you could become a phone company

I do own DID blocks but this is unhelpful because google's verification specifically requires SMS over real mobile numbers, and I'm not interested in becoming an MVNO or cellular carrier.