DiDi: Changing phone number

[ChTTay]

I’ve been trying to change my phone number in the Didi app rather than make a whole new account. So far I haven’t found a way. It always wants to send a text to my previous phone (which has been cancelled). I did find an option that says something like “click here if your old number isn’t available” but when I click on it the following stage wants to send a message to my old number ??

 

Has anyone successfully changed their number? 
 

I don’t really want to make a new account if I can avoid as my current one has a lot of addresses I regularly use. 

[xinoxanu]

Probably no possible from your end. Have you tried contacting customer service? Yes, I know, the experience will suck.

 

I got locked out of my QQ & Weibo accounts for the same reasons... they kept sending the OTP to my deactivated phone number, despite having an e-mail linked to the account. In the end made new ones and, from then on, I've made sure I link any app to Wechat/Alipay if possible, since they have many other possible ways to recover an account.

[ChTTay]

6 minutes ago, xinoxanu said:

I've made sure I link any app to Wechat/Alipay if possible,

Actually I sign into Didi using wechat! I’ve changed my phone number in wechat but the change doesn’t come through into Didi. As above, there’s no option that I can find to change my number that actually works. 

[xinoxanu]

I am guessing that's because your first log in to Didi was made through your phone number and afterwards you linked your Wechat account?

 

When Uber was still a thing in China, I actually had two accounts: one made with my phone number and another one made with the same phone number + wechat linked. For some reason, the system split what should have been one single account into two (and both were fully functional and independent). I don't know how this was possible, but I suspect that it's related to how wechat links to a third party account via some kind of unique code, without actually considering the phone number/username/etc (someone tech savvy perhaps can chime in?).

 

Chinese apps are super broken.

[xinoxanu]

@ChTTay, did you manage to fix the issue?

[ChTTay]

Not yet. I’ve been too busy this week. Hopefully at the weekend. 
 

I managed to change the number at the most important places (banks) or in the most important apps (wechat and Alipay!). 
 

Banks have come a long long way even in a couple of years. Took me 3 minutes to change my phone number. Last time I did it years ago I waited an hour and was asked a bunch of questions I got wrong. 

[xinoxanu]

16 minutes ago, ChTTay said:

Last time I did it years ago I waited an hour and was asked a bunch of questions I got wrong. 

 

哈哈, I feel you.

 

It's hilarious how they start printing paper slips that you have to sign in: one for the process to start, one for the cancellation of the old number, one for the new phone number and another one just to confirm everything. The process is, of course, paired with that awful tablet that you use to sign your name, the crappy speaker they use to talk to you from inside their glass booth, and the constant stream of texts you get to inform you of what you are already know/doing.

 

All in all, a whole morning wasted.