My desktop browser has been unverified for ages

That is the problem. If your region is not supported by Brave, Gemini, and/or Uphold, you will not be able to verify your account. I am surprised you are still able to connect using your Android device. Probably if you disconnect, you will not be able to reconnect.

You apparently are still able to receive/earn from ads, so you probably are eligible to receive ads from ad campaigns. You can always check this site to see if your region is eligible and the number of ad campaigns available: Regional Catalog Viewer.

Since you didn’t specifically state your country, I will post all the recent support staff notices about changes to current regions. You can find this information at the bottom of the User Solutions: 1.39.x topic or by doing a Community search.

Notice This?
Various notices posted by Brave support

Supported Country Changes:
NOTICE: New region restrictions on verifying Brave Rewards with Gemini

NOTICE: New region restrictions on Uphold (very important info for users in Hawaii)

India: Verifying Brave Rewards with Uphold temporarily unavailable

Changes to Brave Ads Regional Availability

Wallet Connections are Temporarily Blocked in Turkey