diff --git a/Example/example.ts b/Example/example.ts
index 6f2c036..d07e208 100644
--- a/Example/example.ts
+++ b/Example/example.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import * as fs from 'fs'
 async function example() {
     const conn = new WAConnection() // instantiate
     conn.autoReconnect = ReconnectMode.onConnectionLost // only automatically reconnect when the connection breaks
-    conn.logger.level = 'trace' // set to 'debug' to see what kind of stuff you can implement
+    conn.logger.level = 'debug' // set to 'debug' to see what kind of stuff you can implement
     // attempt to reconnect at most 10 times in a row
     conn.connectOptions.maxRetries = 10
     conn.chatOrderingKey = waChatKey(true) // order chats such that pinned chats are on top
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ async function example() {
     fs.writeFileSync('./auth_info.json', JSON.stringify(authInfo, null, '\t')) // save this info to a file
 
     console.log('oh hello ' + conn.user.name + ' (' + conn.user.jid + ')')    
-
     // uncomment to load all unread messages
     //const unread = await conn.loadAllUnreadMessages ()
     //console.log ('you have ' + unread.length + ' unread messages')
diff --git a/src/Tests/Tests.Misc.ts b/src/Tests/Tests.Misc.ts
index 9329791..ad5e7da 100644
--- a/src/Tests/Tests.Misc.ts
+++ b/src/Tests/Tests.Misc.ts
@@ -75,6 +75,26 @@ WAConnectionTest('Misc', conn => {
     it('should return the stories', async () => {
         await conn.getStories()
     })
+
+    it('should return the profile picture correctly', async () => {
+        // wait for chats
+        await new Promise(resolve => (
+            conn.once('initial-data-received', resolve)
+        )) 
+        const pictures = await Promise.all(
+            conn.chats.all().slice(0, 15).map(({ jid }) => (
+                conn.getProfilePicture(jid)
+                .catch(err => '')
+            ))
+        )
+        // pictures should return correctly
+        const truePictures = pictures.filter(pp => !!pp)
+        assert.strictEqual(
+            new Set(truePictures).size,
+            truePictures.length
+        )
+    })
+
     it('should change the profile picture', async () => {
         await delay (5000)
 
@@ -88,11 +108,6 @@ WAConnectionTest('Misc', conn => {
 
         await conn.updateProfilePicture (conn.user.jid, oldPP) // revert back
     })
-    it('should return the profile picture', async () => {
-        const response = await conn.getProfilePicture(testJid)
-        assert.ok(response)
-        assert.rejects(conn.getProfilePicture('abcd@s.whatsapp.net'))
-    })
     it('should send typing indicator', async () => {
         const response = await conn.updatePresence(testJid, Presence.composing)
         assert.ok(response)
diff --git a/src/WAConnection/0.Base.ts b/src/WAConnection/0.Base.ts
index f953f83..7c0e974 100644
--- a/src/WAConnection/0.Base.ts
+++ b/src/WAConnection/0.Base.ts
@@ -223,17 +223,17 @@ export class WAConnection extends EventEmitter {
         requiresPhoneConnection = requiresPhoneConnection !== false
         waitForOpen = waitForOpen !== false
         let triesLeft = maxRetries || 2
-        tag = tag || this.generateMessageTag (longTag)
-
+        tag = tag || this.generateMessageTag(longTag)
+        
         while (triesLeft >= 0) {
             if (waitForOpen) await this.waitForConnection()
-            
+
             const promise = this.waitForMessage(tag, requiresPhoneConnection, timeoutMs)
 
             if (this.logger.level === 'trace') {
                 this.logger.trace ({ fromMe: true },`${tag},${JSON.stringify(json)}`)
             }
-
+           
             if (binaryTags) tag = await this.sendBinary(json as WANode, binaryTags, tag)
             else tag = await this.sendJSON(json, tag)
 
@@ -369,7 +369,6 @@ export class WAConnection extends EventEmitter {
     }
     /** Send some message to the WhatsApp servers */
     protected async send(m) {
-        this.msgCount += 1 // increment message count, it makes the 'epoch' field when sending binary messages
         this.conn.send(m)
     }
     protected async waitForConnection () {
@@ -477,6 +476,8 @@ export class WAConnection extends EventEmitter {
     )
     generateMessageTag (longTag: boolean = false) {
         const seconds = Utils.unixTimestampSeconds(this.referenceDate)
-        return `${longTag ? seconds : (seconds%1000)}.--${this.msgCount}`
+        const tag = `${longTag ? seconds : (seconds%1000)}.--${this.msgCount}`
+        this.msgCount += 1 // increment message count, it makes the 'epoch' field when sending binary messages
+        return tag
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/WAConnection/1.Validation.ts b/src/WAConnection/1.Validation.ts
index 7c4ac16..3d29c25 100644
--- a/src/WAConnection/1.Validation.ts
+++ b/src/WAConnection/1.Validation.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ export class WAConnection extends Base {
         }
         const canLogin = this.canLogin()      
         this.referenceDate = new Date () // refresh reference date
-        let isNewUser = false
 
         this.startDebouncedTimeout ()