wechat auth #recovery @new|exist`device

k_wechat

— G3 strategies to cope with catastrophic risk of wechat “loss”

  1. use whatsapp/email more, uese wechat less, esp. with wife. Those tidbits of vita info will be less likely locked up in wechat
  2. DRD log-in on “new” phone to flush out any log-in issues, which remain hidden if you remain authenticated for years. If you log in once and never log out for years, then you are bound to forget your mobileNum, password, email address etc.
  3. save chat history to SD card etc .. see https://btv-open.dreamhosters.com/16003/wechat-history/

— minimize Wechat usage .. Wechat is now growing into a dependency for me, but strategically I need to move more stuff from wechat to whatsapp, email or SMS.

  • whatsapp and email data are on-server and easy to recover
  • wechat has horrible tech support (located in China), esp. for log-in/access or history recovery. Whatsapp and gmail have global user base.
  • wechat restrictions/controls are dictated by PRC government (Tenchent is not exactly a private company). Overseas users are treated as second-class citizens during the “due diligence”.

==== account recovery on a phone where my login id (xxx5241) is already registered

3 trusted friends?

— Using passwd alone .. in Feb 2025, I was able to enter se8 to log in. Note the acccount identifier was pre-populated as xxx5241

— Using voice recognition… (least useful) In Feb 2025 and 2023, I was able to read a prompt in English to log in, but this method is useless when you switch account or set up on new phone.

==== account recovery on new phone, with no prior wechat account

The single most important thing to remember ….  mobileNum. Using smsOtp (without passwd) you can recover your account on a new phone.

MobileNum is +86-xxx5241. My account id is tiger40490 but useless for account recovery.

log in xxxx5241/se8… standard passwd preferred because I prioritize access rather than privacy. In other words, I worry far more about losing access rather than chat content leak

— Using mobileNum + smsOtp  .. in Feb 2025, I was able to enter xxx5241 first, _then_  smsOtp to log in.

— Using mobileNum + passwd  … in Feb 2025, I was able to enter xxx5241 first _then_ se8 to log in

— Using registered email addr … in Feb 2025, I “forgot” my passwod. I entered my gmail and received a link to reset my wechat password

[25]Feb stressor profile: effective shields/batt

See also

The range of threats, hazards …. is limitless. Missteps and swans are two of many types. At any time, our mind can only focus on a handful. Inevitably, many dangers fall under our radar, because it’s impossible to monitor 33 threats. As of Feb 2025, I’m dealing with A) parenting B) workload C) ex_China D) GP’s decline E) overseas rEstate

— Q: which batteries and shields are proven effective? Half ranked

  1. batt::gz::quality_focus .. developed over 20Y, I rely on my quality focus to avoid mistakes even when juggling multiple issues. My colleagues trust me.
  2. shield::gz::flexible_hours .. I am able to focus during a /power_surge/
  3. .. batt::gz::annL .. well-developed habit of optimizing annL
  4. batt::pff::medBx .. MLP and the GEL policy I decisively bought for boy. My other medBx (accumulated over 20Y) also matter, if I leave MLP.
  5. shield::citizenship .. gov agencies are instrumental to my parenting challenges
  6. batt::English writing skills… crucial in Singapore
  7. batt::pff::warchest.. of liquid assets
  8. shield::pff::brbr .. developed over 30Y. Provides a sense of cashflow security
  9. batt::pff::nonwork_incomes .. [deposit interests, upcoming annuity payouts] provide a sense of cashflow security
  10. shield::faith .. I believe in karma, kindness, a benevolent higher being. I have hope and optimism
  11. batt::spare_laptops

Less specific, less noteworthy batteries and shields that proved effective (at least relevant) in this stressful period

  • Shield::Marriage .. Strength of our marriage is being tested to some extent. I think this strength is proven effective.
  • — wellness
  • batt::daily_workout .. a habit built over 3 years.. highly effective
  • batt::therapeutic_blogging and counsellors
  • battery of self-care competency, deep and long experience .. print-out, camp-out in office
  • .. battery of blogging system capabilities, accumulated over decades.
  • battery of knowledge/xp of (semi-)gov support systems in Singapore
  • batt::diet .. built over 6 years and effective… good appetite (for healty foods) maintained by raw veg diet
  • batt::BMI_greenzone, muscle mass, bone density
  • battery of wellness habits .. diet, dental
  • — pff
  • battery of diversified assets and investing experience .. SP500 + other U.S. stocks,,, BGC also proved an important diversification
  • battery of annuity assets to provide better yield on my cash pile
  • battery of exp tracking competency

— specific action items to strength my shields, recharge my batteries, reduce the stressors, protect my vital systems

  • capture power_surge to make progress
  • try to sleep early
  • more raw veg

wechat history bak/recover #cf WhatsApp

k_disk_hog ,,,, k_wechat,,, k_gCloud

— SD card.. I was able to transfer “everything” from internal storage to SD card, to reduce headache and stress-protect against phone loss.

Before I take out SD card, I will need to transfer back “everything” to internal storage.

— history search .. In each conversation, there’s a SearchHistory but not so useful. I consider this one of the worst weaknesses in this product.

— footprint .. You can see a breakdown of cache footprint by contact_name: me -> settings -> general -> manageStorage -> viewWechatSorage.

If your wife once logged into wechat on this device before, and saved 2GB of wechat data in this phone, you can clear it: me -> settings -> general -> manageStorage ->ClearOtherWechatChatHistory

Essential Wechat data takes about 992MB

— transfer wechat history from phone1 to phone2… For whatsapp, https://faq.whatsapp.com/481135090640375/?cms_platform=android shows how to (automatically) back up to gCloud.

After initial log-in, my phone2 showed full WhatsApp history. In contrast, wechat showed empty history after initial log-in.

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1790065595389448166&wfr=spider&for=pc shows how to do it via wechat Windows Application.

Log-in requires a usable phone1 wechat “instance”. Then you can upload all conversations to windows instance.

Then log out on both windows and phone1. Log in on phone2 and then windows. This way, the windows insance is connected to the phone2 instance on . Then you can select the conversations to download (windows to new phone)

Data transfer goes through internet to wechat server. I prefer wifi rather than mobile data.

##devices2help remember passwd #DRD

k_passwd …

— #1 tip: DRD [DramRefreshDrill]… I like this homegrown jargon as it leverages existing term “Dram”
practice monthly .. use google calendar

— tip: save hints to a text file ..

— tip: hints on post-it

— tip: use “hot” sites for practice .. Say you just changed passwd on someSmallBank.com, but you seldom log in there and may forget it soon. You can use the same password in office computer, which will “require” you to enter it frequently, therefore commmitting it to memory.

  • office LAN passwd
  • mlphone
  • home laptop passwd, not PIN

##[24]phone keyboard features

The real_estate constraint has driven world-wide innovations in the ubiquitous tiny keyboard. Some innovations are relevant to me. This bpost uses Samsung keyboard and GBoard just for illutration.

— feature: glide typing … SamsungKeyboard -> swipeTouchFeedback
— feature: predictive typing ..

google beats Samsung in type-ahead, esp. in Chinese. I don’t know if it is part of “predictive typing”

— feature: show punc marks on letter keys .. SamsungKeyboard -> layout -> alternative chars
Note hiding them saves real_estate.

— feature: cursor control .. real challenge for millions

Gboard glide-typing -> gestureCursorControl lets you swipe over spacebar (Practice!) to move cursor

Gboard and Samsung keyboard also have some “joystick” for cursor control.

— feature::real_estate: keyboard can be shrunk to save real estate, but keys can be too small for fat fingers.
Samsung .. find the triple dot beside the gear -> find the icon for keyboard size
Gboard … long press anywere on the special-keys row -> Resize button
— feature::real_estate:: show/hide row of number keys
— feature::real_estate:: show/hide row of special buttons above regular keys .. SamsungKeyboard -> keyboardToolbar
Let’s try out all the buttons for a while,  then disable the toolbar

##[24]wife’s laptop #Z399

Why so much cheaper than expected $1000+? See ##[24]delightful tech hav`+ve impact@%%personal life

— microsoft account.. To enable Office365, shop had to create a microsoft acccount zhanglihuizofia@outlook.com. They promised that we don’t need to re-enter password.

Based on what I see so far about microsoft account, I much prefer a local account. Shop said after Office365 expires in a year, we can stop using this microsoft account.

— disk hogs .. I have reduced total SSD usage to 44GB according to SSD”Properties” applet. I assume 70GB free storage is insufficient for wife. Shop suggested offline storage like USB drive.

I have removed many unnecessary bundled apps in front of the shop salespeople, but many of them returned.

— facts

  • Tradensync
  • Lenovo $399… named Z399?
  • 1Y official warranty
  • 15.6 inch display
  • 12 GB RAM, far more than the 4GB in L399
  • 128 GB SSD , but only 114G available.

Compared to the $450 model, this one has bigger screen, slower processor (IDC), 1Y MSff,

— wish list

  • #1 easier repair
  • .. shop warranty inferior though logistically easier
  • .. perhaps the L360 shop, if they don’t move out
  • .. extended warranty from official service center
  • windows and MSff pre-installed
  • weight
  • screen size .. can affect cost, weight
  • more than two UBS ports, on both sides
  • battery .. LG2. Typically 5H continuous usage

PLN[powerline network] devices

I find PLN more reliable than wifi, nearly as reliable as ethernet. If that’s true, then for some homes PLN is a superior solution in terms of complexity, wiring,,,, See https://tedium.co/2020/06/02/powerline-networking-history/

Whenever I need uninterrupted connectivity for telecommute, I avoid home wifi (including mesh)… too unstable. If I can’t run a long cable across rooms, then PLN is my default choice.

— frequent power-down rest

I have learnt from experience that PLN devices need ventilation and periodic power-down. I think some models can become hot quite easily. My current pair of devices are identical 🙂 and therefore interchangeable.  One of them is easy to power-off, and gets more “rest”. So I devised a rotation plan, so each one periodically rotates to the light-duty position. Is this a burdensome or reccreational complexity? R