Like a 737 Max

[Мастер]

Since July, I’ve adopted a much more “outdoor” lifestyle. Frequent, often long, bicycle rides, and more recently, uphill hiking. In this rather flat country, that means going up one of the few suitable slopes repeatedly, but we make do with what we have.

One thing that has been brought to my attention in a rather forceful way, is how much smartphones and water don’t mix. My extensive waterproofing measures turned out to be not quite extensive enough.

The underlying phone mechanism seems to be fine, but the touchscreen - it was completely unusable. A major struggle even to put the passcode in. Hit a number repeatedly, nothing happens. Then all of a sudden the number deploys three or four times. Unusable.

Leaving it out under the ceiling fan, and also putting it in a pan of rice, did seem to help. The phone slowly became usable, albeit with difficulty. I began to hope it would make a full recovery.

That hope is gone. The new symptom now is, uncommanded action by the touchscreen. It’s going off and doing things without being asked, like a 737 MAX. It made a call to Malaysia yesterday. Sent email with garbled content. Made a Zoom conference call. Volume spontaneously up and down. Threatening to make emergency calls (I think I stopped it in time, at least no police or ambulance have arrived). Etc.

Apparently, even keeping the phone in standby, so the passcode is needed, does not stop it from doing some things on its own. Someone sent me a WhatsApp message, and it promptly and autonomously called back.

Waiting for a “new” refurbished phone today, same make and model, so I don’t need new cases, bicycle mounts, etc. When it arrives, I’ll switch over the SIM card and all the settings, then try to get the old one repaired. If successful, I’ll have one for every day use, and another for the bicycle. I can get a $10 a month plan (and our dollars are smaller than US$) that should be adequate for bicycle use.

I already have another smartphone with SIM cards from China and the UK.

So a product no one had a few years ago, I may soon have three.

[Мастер]

Another problem solved.

So the old phone was sufficiently decrepit that I had to use a tablet to scan the QR codes I need to enter everywhere now. I installed the app on the tablet, used the phone as a "hot spot" for the tablet (the phone works fine, except for the touchscreen), and then just use the tablet.

So now I have location data on the tablet, and on the phone. With the new phone, I want to go back to that method - no more tablet.

But what to do? If I delete the app, the data are all deleted, and the entire purpose of the app is defeated - if someone who tests positive "linked" with me (that is, if my tablet and that person's device exchanged bluetooth information), then I'm supposed to send all my data to the Ministry of Health. But if I delete the data, I won't be able to. There is no option to transfer the data to a new device.

So I thought I could just leave the app installed, but then when I carry the tablet everywhere, it will be acquiring new data. That's what I want to avoid - switching everything over to the phone again (specifically, the new phone).

Solution - go to the security and private settings, and deny the app on the tablet permission to use bluetooth. It complains that it can't work now, but just ignore that. It preserves all the old data, but acquires no new data. After 25 days, the old data are deleted.

Wasted some time figuring that one out

[MM_Dandy]

No option to transfer data between devices sounds like an egregious oversight by the designers. People upgrade their smart devices all the time, and often get new devices without necessarily replacing the old ones.

Anyway, glad you got it sorted out. If you're ever invited to give feedback, try not to mention the workaround - there's a lot of incentive to not resolve issues if there's another but less optimal solution.

[Мастер]

No option to transfer data between devices sounds like an egregious oversight by the designers. People upgrade their smart devices all the time, and often get new devices without necessarily replacing the old ones.

My new phone, set up using Apple's "transfer everything" method, had the app and all the settings, but it didn't seem to have the data. But even ignoring that, the situation of having your data split between two devices, needing to be consolidated, does not seem to have been addressed.

Here is a support article, suggesting it is not just a matter of me doing it wrong:

https://support.tracetogether.gov.sg/hc ... ch-phones-

If you've changed your phone and retained your original mobile number, no worries. You can download TraceTogether on your new phone and register with your mobile number. The TraceTogether data in your previous phone will not be ported over to your new phone. It will stay in your previous phone for 25 days, after which it'll be deleted.

My old phone is in the shop right now. I suppose if it is turned on and someone walks by the shop who tested positive, I will be contacted as someone who needs to be tested, even though the phone and I were very far apart at the time of the contact.

If they do manage to get the old phone fixed, it's going to become my "bicycle" phone, which means until about January 23rd, my data will be split across three devices rather than two.

I also assume that while I was walking around with my old phone and the tablet on my person, their Bluetooths were communicating and registering that I had come into contact with myself. So if I ever test positive, I will need to be tested to see if I am positive, because I was in contact with myself.

[Мастер]

Turns out old phone was fixable, so now I have two.

One for every day, one for the bicycle.

They must iLove me.

[Мастер]

All set up on the old phone (factory reset, built from scratch), with the new phone taking the identity of the old phone.

So, can you have two smartphones without having two personalities?

[Enzo]

Ah, that explains it, I have no smart phones and no personality.