Fixing “You Have Recently Made Too Many Attempts” on YouTube Phone Verification

When you try to verify your YouTube channel by phone, you might see this error message:

You have recently made too many attempts. Please try again later.

That’s what happened to me. I’ll share exactly what I did wrong at first, and then what finally worked – so you don’t waste days repeating the same steps.

What This Error Usually Means

This message appears when Google thinks your phone number has been used too many times for verification in a short period of time.

It can happen if:

• You request too many verification codes in one day.
• You try to verify several channels or accounts with the same phone number.
• You keep retrying after the first failure, hoping it will suddenly work.

When this happens, Google temporarily blocks more verification attempts from that number.

What I Tried First (That Didn’t Work)

At first I did what most people do:

• I waited about 24 hours and tried again — same error.
• Then I waited about 48 hours and tried again — still the same error.

So “try again later” was not very helpful. The message just kept coming back.

The Trick That Finally Worked: Wait a Full 72 Hours

After some searching, I found a Reddit post where someone said:

Wait at least 72 hours and do not make any new attempts during that time.

That means:

• No trying to verify on desktop or mobile.
• No trying with the same phone number on other Google or YouTube accounts.
• No “just one more test” during those 72 hours.

I followed that advice:

1. Stopped all verification attempts completely.
2. Waited a full 72 hours (3 days) without touching the verification page.
3. Came back after 72 hours and tried to verify again.

After that full wait, the error was gone and the verification finally worked.

Step-by-Step: How to Fix the Error

Here’s a simple version you can follow:

1. Stop trying immediately.
   Close the YouTube verification page and don’t request any more codes.
2. Wait at least 72 hours.
   Not 24, not 48. Give it a full 3 days with zero verification attempts.
3. Don’t use your number on other accounts.
   Using the same number elsewhere can keep the block active.
4. After 72 hours, try again once.
   Go to YouTube > Settings > Channel > Feature eligibility and try to verify your phone again.
5. If it still fails, wait again or use another number.
   Sometimes you may need a bit longer or a different phone number.

Other things that might work

• Disable a VPN
• Try in an incognito tab
• Try from another browser

Extra Tips to Avoid the Error in Future

• Only request the verification code once or twice. Don’t spam the button.
• Make sure your phone can receive SMS or calls and is not in airplane mode.
• Use a real mobile number, not a temporary or virtual number.
• Use the same Google account and same country/region when retrying.

Summary

If you see You have recently made too many attempts. Please try again later. when verifying your YouTube channel by phone:

• Stop trying immediately.
• Wait a full 72 hours with no verification attempts at all.
• Then try again once, carefully.

This simple “hard reset” waiting period is what finally fixed the problem for me, after 24 and 48 hours of waiting did nothing. If you’re stuck in the same situation, give the full 72 hours a try before you drive yourself crazy clicking “send code” over and over again.