[Q] Correct way to poll for new SMS? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm an absolutely new developer when it comes to native Android applications. I'm currently looking for the best approach to poll for new messages (SMS) sent to the phone from via my app. My application needs to do something in case a certain SMS has been received. This is actually the first time I'm developing a native Android application.
My thought is to create a loop perhaps? Wherein the loop should check for new messages? Is there a better way than this?

Related

[Q] Mark SMS as read after a while...

hi, I'm not familiar with Android, but when I used WM, my old phone had HTC Sense too
And made an editing of registry key, I could force the phone to mark a new SMS
as read after few seconds, when I just looked on Sence SMS widget, not even
opening SMS app...
Is it possible to get the same functionality on 3vo? Stock rom for now.
Vladimyr said:
hi, I'm not familiar with Android, but when I used WM, my old phone had HTC Sense too
And made an editing of registry key, I could force the phone to mark a new SMS
as read after few seconds, when I just looked on Sence SMS widget, not even
opening SMS app...
Is it possible to get the same functionality on 3vo? Stock rom for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, welcome to Android! I switched from WM almost 2 yrs ago and haven't looked back!
Interesting registry setting on WM. I haven't heard of or seen anything for the Android. Android def doesn't have a register as its based on linux and not windows. Also, as a technical sidenote regarding how Android functions, the system sends a broadcast when a text message is received. Any application can grab this broadcast and use it to trigger an action. The messages are usually stored in an sqlite database on the device by each messaging app. Marking the message as read after a set time interval does sound like a simple request. I would suggest looking through the Android Market as I would think there would be a solution there.
There are also 3rd party messaging apps so the user isnt *stuck* using the stock messaging app. Perhaps one of the popular 3rd party messaging apps provide this setting.
Hope that helps!
joeykrim said:
First, welcome to Android! I switched from WM almost 2 yrs ago and haven't looked back!
Interesting registry setting on WM. I haven't heard of or seen anything for the Android. Android def doesn't have a register as its based on linux and not windows. Also, as a technical sidenote regarding how Android functions, the system sends a broadcast when a text message is received. Any application can grab this broadcast and use it to trigger an action. The messages are usually stored in an sqlite database on the device by each messaging app. Marking the message as read after a set time interval does sound like a simple request. I would suggest looking through the Android Market as I would think there would be a solution there.
There are also 3rd party messaging apps so the user isnt *stuck* using the stock messaging app. Perhaps one of the popular 3rd party messaging apps provide this setting.
Hope that helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for reply! I know the basics
But keeping an application which is monitoring messages all the time to clear the status
seems not the best solution.
I thought that Sense for Android can make it itself, as Sense for WM can do this!
Probably, as well as on WM, it needs a little tweak

[Q] Android Group MMS SMS Chat like iPhone iOS4

I have searched many forums and the market to no avail so I was hoping someone here could help.
Is there any way we, android users, can get a function similar to iOS4 users with their "group mms" option. To those of you not familiar, its basically a chat room like feature that uses your text messages. For example, if I were to create a new text on the iphone, I could add more people to it. Once it's sent out, if anyone replies, that reply will go to all of those in the group and so forth. In essence, a chat room is created where everyone receives a copy of everyone else's text.
At any rate, a few of my friends have iphones and I was hoping to be able to communicate with them in such a manner but neither the stock messaging application or handcent has this function. The few options that might work would involve having all of my friends download some new app along with myself and even that doesn't work all the time.
ANY help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This post was originally in a phone specific forum but I feel that it needs more exposure since it is a pretty significant issue for android. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=774990
Basically it comes down to not being able to be part of a group MMS if you are not the sender.
iOS attaches all users in a group message to the header of an MMS message, and when this message is received on an android device the receiver can only see the sender, not the other people in the conversation. So, when the android user tries to reply to this message it only gets sent to the originator of the group message instead of all of the users in the group.
Currently, there is an application that handles this functionality and it is the Verzion Messages application. However, this application is out-dated and is missing other messaging features.
AT&T also has an application that addresses this issue, however, not many people have had success with it. At least for me, using my Galaxy Nexus on AT&T (4.0.2), the application opens and only shows a blank screen.
Can we get a developer to modify a current texting application, or create a new one that handles group MMS that recognizes all users of the group and will send a reply to everyone, not just the originator?
NOTE: Some other 3rd party texting applications allow group texting, but will only work if you are the originator.
How many other people have run into this issue?
I have run into the exact same issue. I have spent hours researching various workarounds, but a lot of people, forum topics, and companies think this issue isn't an issue at all. Handcent, Chomp, and Go SMS all say they have "group" messaging, but what they describe is more like a batch send out, not a threaded sms like the iphone and even now Verizon phones through the Verizon Messages Application.
I know there is an open ticket with google that is mentioned in the forum you linked to. I'm a new user so I can't link to it, but it is mentioned and linked to in post #92 on that forum you linked.
Hopefully someone or one of the bigger companies will get a handle on this.
I also would like to see this addressed. With many friends/family with iPhones it is crippling my texting abilities when I get so many group sms chats. Basically from an OS perspective it is making users of Android phones appear inferior to iPhone users.
I was looking into this today after becoming annoyed that i couldn't join a group mms thread w/ some iOS friends. It seems Verizon's VZMessages app works with the threaded group mms's. I did some tests w/ both iphone and android friends and it seems to work the same as for iphones. Since it's a vzw app, i have no idea what usability is for other carriers, and i've had some issues on my rooted dinc (display artifacts). Also, the design is terrible and looks like their target user is about 5 years old w/ all the bright primary colors and bubbly icons.
try it out and let me know how it works for you guys.
since i'm a new user, i can't post the market link to it, but you can find it in the google play app market.
Not sure if you guys saw this yet, but in the development section trikotret updated the handcent app to handle the iphone like group texts. I just installed it to try it out. I can't post links yet either but it the thread title is "Handscent Android group chat like iPhone"
Here is the flow on how to get there:
Android Development and Hacking | Android Software Development |Handscent Android group chat like iPhone
same issue
we had a text clan, or a group of people in a texting community, kinda popular here in the philippines. i've been looking for an app like those but nothing suits what we need. i tried groupme, but it crashes and needed to be online, also a force close issue in handcent which claims to have this feature. we used to do a traditional GMs or Group Messages in a send to many or batch mode only to send all GMs (equivalent to tweets in online world) to all our members. but as an android user i want to take advantage of it. here's the thing to address:
1. an app for sms/mms like gosms or equivalent.
2. this app can have a unified inbox. something like ChatOn or Socialhub of samsung but still integrated offline sms/text to local contacts.
2. options to offline only or if online.
3. group local/offline chat (threaded style, not just a batch send
4. whenever someone replied that is included in the group, it is in the same thread. or for short, sms with 2 or more person in a single thread locally.
5. even non android or typical mobile phone can receive it as a text message. so even nokia 5110 user can reply, ofcourse he will only receive what is sent to him. not always the entire thread content.
got my point?
by the way, sorry for my english.
Verizon Messaging works for me
GoSMSpro has a setting for this. Under send settings enable MMS grop chat.
handcent works ok for this but i'm in disbelief that it hasn't been addressed by google yet. did apple patent this feature or something?
i encourage everyone to star the issue at google's android project page:
http://code.google.com/p/android/is...rs&colspec=ID Type Status Owner Summary Stars
1Speed said:
This post was originally in a phone specific forum but I feel that it needs more exposure since it is a pretty significant issue for android. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=774990
Basically it comes down to not being able to be part of a group MMS if you are not the sender.
iOS attaches all users in a group message to the header of an MMS message, and when this message is received on an android device the receiver can only see the sender, not the other people in the conversation. So, when the android user tries to reply to this message it only gets sent to the originator of the group message instead of all of the users in the group.
Currently, there is an application that handles this functionality and it is the Verzion Messages application. However, this application is out-dated and is missing other messaging features.
AT&T also has an application that addresses this issue, however, not many people have had success with it. At least for me, using my Galaxy Nexus on AT&T (4.0.2), the application opens and only shows a blank screen.
Can we get a developer to modify a current texting application, or create a new one that handles group MMS that recognizes all users of the group and will send a reply to everyone, not just the originator?
NOTE: Some other 3rd party texting applications allow group texting, but will only work if you are the originator.
How many other people have run into this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been addressed. This function is now standard in Jelly Bean 4.2 see link: http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon-galaxy-nexus-rooting-roms-hacks/207431-group-text-messaging-jb-achieved.html

[Q] Method hooking - or: how to get other apps data

Hi there, Android newbie here
I just came across this WhatsApp widget for Root which is able to display recent messages. I was wondering how the developers managed to get the data from WhatsApp.
As of now, I can think of three possible ways:
a) The widget refreshes its contents whenever it detects activity on the WhatsApp message database.
b) The widget "hooks" methods that get called in one of WhatsApps activities when new messages arrive and mirrors the messages into its own database.
c) The widget listens for push messages with the WhatsApp signature or listens for traffic between WhatsApp and their servers.
I use the termin "hooking" because of the way iOS tweaks are written, I have no idea if this is possible on Android. Which way is more likely? Any suggestions are appreciated
Let me elaborate on the background of my question: I noticed that WhatsApp groups new messages as a single item in the notification window. I'm thinking about selling my iPhone and getting an Android phone, but I would like to have a preview of all incoming messages like iOS's notification center.
Hmm... anyone? is this the wrong board?

[Q] Is it possible to force stock email to forward messages automatically?

I need to use an exchange email for school, and they have recently decided that you can only send/receive email through browsers or the stock email app. I like to have my various emails organized in one place, but they have blocked normal automatic forwarding (without any warning other than it simply not working) and POP/IMAP/SMTP access.
Manually forwarding individual emails is possible, but is it possible to automatically force the stock app to forward an email after receipt? I'm not very familiar with android, but from my understanding of the intent system, user input is necessary to continue, so sending intents from Tasker every few minutes would not work on it's own. Is that correct, and if so are there other viable options? Receiving is more important than sending, but later on I am also going to look into a similar outgoing system if possible. I assume they might be related.
I see that the source code for the stock email app is available here. Theoretically, would it be feasible to add this functionality myself (if I knew android) and repackage the app?

[HELP] Need Advice For Android App Concept

Hi guys! I am a noob with android development (but I'm trying to learn :fingers-crossed
So I want to build an SMS application, I have read articles/tutorials but I'm afraid that most of them have become outdated/deprecated.
I am not trying to build a commercial application, just a personal project I'd like to try out.
Here's my concept, I want to be able to let the phone send SMS without user interaction, the catch is that it would only do so if the phone receives an SMS from a certain number. I am trying to do this on a 5.0+ device.
Example Scenario:
1. Phone receives SMS Trigger from NumberA. Message: "IT3 No Class Today"
2. Phone sends SMS to NumberX, NumberY and NumberZ. Message:"No Class Today"
(Number list is from "IT3" code from step 1)
3. Rinse and repeat.
I have read all about setting it as default SMS application and the permissions and have most of the fundamentals working. However I can't figure out a way to intercept the Incoming SMS, read its contents, parse it and compose a new message, send to numbers based on code -- all from the background automatically. Is this doable or not?
That may not be doable due to security protocols. Once you swap over as the default app that will take care of intercepting the SMS. The rest would be a huge security issue if it could be done.

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