Can anyone explain what I'm looking at?

[HeadLikeSpaghetti]

Hi all. I'm new to mumsnet and was pointed here by a friend.
This could really be something or nothing and I'm so confused. I've been married for years. Really happily, I've never had one issue with him in all the time we've been together. But... on Sunday I was walking past the spare room where his laptop is when I saw him quickly click out of an email account that didn't look like his. When I asked he got all flustered and said of course it was but Ive got a terrible feeling about his reaction.
This morning I still hadn't shaken it so started digging. I put his phone no in various providers and it was linked to gmail. (His isn't gmail). Now this is where it could be nothing. I can also get into this gmail with his other (usual) email. It then gives the option to convert his usual account to gmail. So I'm guessing it may be innocent but could anyone explain the following please

1. He has a few passwords he uses. The one to get into this gmail is different from his email one
2. There is a username that is not mentioned anywhere on his usual account
3. This username with gmail.com on the end is a recognised email address but the same password doesn't work with it
4. There are options to look at internet history and location history (this one says paused) but I can't seem to look at anything.

I'm just so confused with what I'm looking at. I've always trusted him and feel bad for even writing this but then keep thinking what if?
I know not all perfect husbands are what they seem!

Thanks pope. I'll try on his laptop and phone.
Although I have been doing it on my phone so I expect he's had alerts now. Bugger

Gmail can be used to access other email addresses so it could be that? I'll have a fiddle and see

It takes me to a page that just shows his yahoo address, and this unknown user name. I can choose to change the yahoo address to a gmail one. Or if I click at the top it says stuff I can do like like look at history or locations. But won't let me.

Accessing other email addresses from gmail looked like what is was to me. But why would you go to gmail and use a different password and username? He's got yahoo set up on his phone so the emails just come through.

Guessed that password which took me to a page asking if I want to upgrade this account to gmail

I'm totally confused at this stage, but it sounds more like it's signing you into google, not into gmail, and google is offering an email account. My google account has a completely different name to my real name, as I used it for youtube. Lots of reasons why someone would have a different name on google.

It looks like, as I have my yahoo address as a recovery address for my gmail, I can log in using that too. So if I went to gmail login and put in katemosstopsupermodelATyahoo.co.uk, and that was my recovery address, it lets me log in using that and my normal gmail password.

The new username would make me a bit suspicious.

I'm totally confused at this stage, but it sounds more like it's signing you into google, not into gmail

Yes that sounds likely. You need a google account for loads of things so he might have just made a random one.

Have you googled the different name?

Sorry for three posts in a row. Just googled my fake google name, and got a spread of things I've posted to or done over the last year.

So I've either got in using a recovery address, or I'm looking at something totally innocent.
Or he has another email when I saw him on Sunday and I'm barking up the wrong tree altogether.
Thank you all so much for your help. I will explore these options and keep an eye on things. God I'm exhausted!!

I have various e-mail accounts.

I started when everywhere needed your e-mail and I did not want to be innundated with spam on the account I use for friends

Also used a different one to sign up to MN

And there is nothing inherently shady about having more than 1 account

I think snooping shows a lack of trust, may want to get to the bottom of that

id second advice to look at laptop not the phone, I have two email addresses one for work and one private but my private one is not on my phone.

before trying to open accounts just look in the history, and look for email icons etc as you can open this way without it going to history. just look see if gmail has been accessed from the laptop without you entering it.

I'd be worried what you are doing, entering addresses as passwords etc is going to throw up false info. Just like when your using a site , and the phone or computer attempts to anticipate the info you need you enter first letter and it will put an email address in or something you didn't want to use. Maybe its just way you are explaining it.

my ds has a number of yahoo and gmail accounts set up to deal with games items, he always forgets them and its easier to set up a new one every so often, he doesn't use them for anything else and if I asked him he'd only know his one email address he uses, which is not gmail or yahoo and would say he only has the one email account.

As an aside, if I was on my computer and my dh who was just passing the door and not standing looking over my shoulder said what's they you just shut down its not your normal email, i'd give a very flustered response as id be thinking what the hell is he up to, why would he ask that.

I'm sorry I am not able to help with the email accounts etc, but just wanted to say I know only too well that feeling of exhaustion and frustration of trying to find out what someone might be hiding.

It is a bloody horrible feeling, but with me, I knew something wasn't right and I just had to get to the bottom of it. It was a long time ago now, but just reading your posts has taken me right back there.

I wish you well and hope that your concerns are unfounded.

I didn't have trust issues. It was just the way he jumped to shut it down and was all flustered. I couldn't have cared less if he had 100 accounts, I've never so much as looked at his history or anything when I e been using his laptop or phone.
I don't really know what to think. I'll keep an eye out.
Can I ask out if interest why you need to set up an account for google. What is it used for? I just have it to search for things. I'm sorry, you can tell I am clearly hopeless with technology.

Thanks frogs

I needed a Google account for my phone and also for google ads and analytics and other google stuff

The gmail app or on laptop web app, does not let you add a yahoo email. But a yahoo email account lets you have a gmail account on your yahoo one. He will have a gmail account that he has added to his yahoo. He can log into his yahoo account and will receive messages from both his yahoo and gmail.
So say he is joe.blogs@yahoo then he will also have joe.blogs@gmail and when he logs into his yahoo account he will receive the emails from both accounts however if he wants to keep it secret he could only give out his gmail address and it not get back to his normal use yahoo address.

OP, just to clarify, Gmail and yahoo are two completely different email sites. Its like going onto amazon to shop and then ebay to shop. Completely different sites. So if he has anything associated with a gmail email account then he has set up a whole new account with Gmail.

Have you looked at the browsing history? That's the first thing I'd do...

he can access his gmail account through his yahoo, but he can only do that if he has set up a gmail account.

Thanks all. More to think about!! I have to go now and help move some stuff.
Thanks again for all of the advice. I will update when I'm on my own for 5 mins.
The internet history disappeared when he closed what he was doing so I couldn't look when I went back. I think it's only visable when something is open. Not sure but I'll look again. Thanks for all
Your help.

If he has nothing to hide why shut it down and why look flustered.
Sadly I feel he is up to no good.
But to get him thinking you do the same but he won`t find a thing.

Why does the history disappear? Would it usually be there?

I have multiple email accounts in addition to my usual iCloud one, mainly created to access first-time-buyer discount codes. I know my DP does too, mainly because he runs various social media accounts linked to sport.

I got allocated a gmail account as part of laptop set up. No idea how or why but it exists and the setup did apply it to some accounts for a time till i reset defaults.

Yahoo Emails accounts can also have legacy links to gmail setups. Again no idea why.

I don’t always want DP looking at what I am doing on my computer and will shut it down when he is around and prone to a nose. Don’t see any reason to explain it to him if he asked.