The power in basic hacks

Greetings!

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When I saw this prompt, nothing really popped into my mind because I felt that if I were to touch on things like graphic design—which I am somewhat familiar with but not proficient enough to call myself a professional—I might end up exaggerating too much. The truth is, I know I am not even 60% close to the level of an average graphic designer. However, after some deeper thought, I quickly remembered how tech-savvy and digital a lot of my friends and family perceive me to be.

Not to exaggerate, but I am someone that friends, relatives, or people around often turn to for help in solving digital problems, mostly related to phones, or when they need to make inquiries. People around me know me for that, and anytime they come to me, their problems are usually solved—unless it’s a hardware issue that requires a highly technical expert to fix.

What are these things that I know and always help with?

Knowing codes and hacks for different things:

The most recent example of this happened on the 3rd of this month, involving someone I had never discussed anything tech-related with before. I woke up from a nap in the afternoon to find three missed calls from someone in my base (far from my current location —I am currently in the village). I quickly checked WhatsApp to see if he had messaged me before calling so that I could respond easily. When I did, I saw his message asking me how to check the BVN (Bank Verification Number) linked to a phone number.

I was surprised because this is someone who lives far from me and had never asked me for anything like this before. I also thought it was something everyone could figure out easily because, to me, it’s pretty simple. Nonetheless, I provided him with the basic and simplest methods to retrieve the BVN, which are:

Using the USSD code (5650#).

Logging into a bank app, as some banks display the BVN directly in the app.

He tried the first method, and it worked. He was so thankful. I find it strange when people don’t know these things or don’t think to search for them online. This wasn’t the only case; many people around me know I respond promptly to requests for such codes. Sometimes I don’t even know the codes offhand—I simply do quick research and find them.

Phone troubleshooting:
Many of my neighbors bring their phones to me whenever they notice a malfunction. Most times, the solutions are straightforward and not as serious as they initially think. Often, I just navigate through the settings to correct some misconfigured options, or the problem requires nothing more than turning the phone off and back on again.

For instance, the last issue I handled involved a neighbor whose phone wouldn’t move past a certain point. The only question I asked him was when he last turned off the phone, and he said he couldn’t remember. I turned off the phone and powered it back on, and that resolved the issue. Sometimes, phones lag or act up due to long periods of usage without a reboot.

It’s funny because if they took such minor issues to a repair shop, they would likely be charged for the fix. I only advise them to take their phones to a professional when I’ve checked and confirmed that the problem requires a more technical touch.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m not a pro, but I know a lot of hacks and basics that many people around me seem unaware of.

Thank you for reading!

This is my entry to Digi-prompts of the week

Image 2 & 1

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