Lately, I've been noodling how I can improve Samsung's Send SOS ("Send help" on the S5) feature using Tasker.
Some background: Since the S5 and perhaps earlier, the Galaxy line has a built-in Safety Assistance feature. When switched on it can be triggered by pressing the power button three times quickly. The phone then switches on high accuracy GPS and creates two texts ("SOS!" and "I need help") with this location data. It also records a 5-second audio clip and takes a photo using each the front-facing and rear camera. These five texts are sent to pre-designated contacts (up to four).
Whether hurt in an accident or facing a bad outcome with a criminal or a cop with an attitude, this feature could is useful. Still, I'd like to enhance it:
- a more actionable "help" message, e.g., Google street address approximation or key instruction;
- a longer recording that is shared and backed up to the cloud.
This looks like it should be easy for Tasker to handle. I created a profile triggered by a notification that help messages are being sent. After the initial text, I used the Recordr app, which has a Tasker plugin to record, then stop after two minutes. (I don't reverse this order because I don't wish to delay the instructional message. Who knows what can happen if I wait?)
It saves the recording in a file with a 15-character name based upon date and time, e.g.., DATE_TIME.aac.
Haven't tried Tasker's record media
A1: Send SMS Number xxxxxxxxxx Message: Avenge me!
A2: Recordr Configuration Record
A3: Wait 2 minutes
A4: Recordr Configuration Stop
My messaging app, Message+ (no judgements, please), automatically sends in Group messaging mode, which allows potential coordination by my "saviors." Sadly, some services may not respond as I'd like. Google Voice and Metro PCS recipients do not use Group mode. Short of having everyone switch messengers -- a very personal and unlikely option -- the only solution I can think of is to warn everyone that some people may not receive or respond in Group mode.
Another issue: Not knowing the file name, I'm unsure how to go about sharing the longer recording. I'm leaning to not having to know the name and using AutoShare or AutoInput to get this done. Also: Any thoughts on what's long enough? A crime is probably less than a minute, an accident needs little time like location info, and a traffic stop can take a while unless things go south quickly.)
My questions:
1. How can I retrieve and send this recording to a contact or point to a link online?
2. How long a recording do you recommend?
3. Any other ideas on what to add?
4. Rather than wait for the Send notification, which waits until after the location has been determined, is there a way to trigger off the initial button presses?
Related
I have no limits on my SMS messages (cause I'm a packrat), yet every time I open the messaging application it asks me if I'd like to set limits on conversations. I select "no limits" every time, but it still pops up every time.
Haven't seen this posted anywhere, so am I the only one?
Are you using the default messaging app? It sounds like caused by a 3rd party app setting or some kind of data restriction that you've put on it.
And you do have unlimited text right? Check your t-mo myaccount app to see if you've put the alert on.
I tried to ask the same thing. Nothing yet.
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=774573
This is only an issue for extreme SMS packrats....
In the message app settings you can disable the auto deletion of messages that run past the set cap (defaults are 200 for sms, 20 for mms). So, disable deletion and increase the cap.
The SMS setting apparently has a hard cap at 5000. If that isn't enough ...well.....although that not being enough would normally entice me to make semi sarcastic remarks about hobbies, spare time, and the relative power of ones sphincter muscles, there are at least apps that can backup your sms threads for you.
SMSBackup for instance will let you backup SMS threads to your gmail acct. Since you can always access your gmail acct from your phone, this should be as good as packratting every friggin text directly on your phone. If you need to remind someone of what they said to you 7996 messages ago, sheerly for the "told you so factor" this can work. A bit creepy, but this can work!
And this is but one of many apps to back up SMS....
Consider the hard limit a feature, and backup your SMS to get them off your phone. That's my two cents...
Thank you. That's a great approach to this problem. It solves it for me.
Hi,
There's something I'd like to do on my samsung galaxy note that I was able to do on my Symbian-based device in the past, but I can't figure out how to do it under Android.
I'd like to save multiple SMS drafts per recipient. However, my Galaxy note 2 only seems to permit me to save one SMS draft per recipient, with each subsequent draft overwriting the previous draft for that same recipient.
Here's why I'd like to have this capability:
If I want to type a long SMS to someone (more than 160 characters), what I like to do is split the message at logical places such as after commas, sentence endings, etc. I would do this by getting close to the end of a given SMS message and then stopping it at the point that I choose, saving it as a draft, and then continuing my text in a new SMS starting at the beginning of the next sentence, phrase, etc. Then, once the set of drafts is completed, I will first proofread and make corrections in the entire group of drafts, and only then will I manually send them off, one after the other.
Yes, I know I can type a long message and the SMS app will automatically split it into pieces after 160 characters, but that often splits words or breaks sentences and phrases in places that I don't want them broken.
Here's how I try to accomplish this on my G1:
Invoke the Messaging app.
Select New Message.
Select recipient.
Compose first SMS.
Select the Back key (draft 1 gets saved).
Select New Message.
Select same recipient as before.
Compose second SMS.
Select the Back key (draft 2 gets saved).
However, at this point, draft 1 has been overwritten by draft 2. In other words, only draft 2 remains.
Can anyone think of a way for me to accomplish what I want (or at least something similar) on my samsung galaxy note 2?
Thanks in advance.
no one ??
This isn't possible in the stock messaging app. You can use GO SMS Pro or Handcent SMS, which allow you to create folders and save messages in them just like in Symbian. So you can save parts of the long message in a folder and send them one by one. I like to use the stock messaging app in my devices though, so the way I do this is to type out the message till the limit, copy it and paste it in a note taking app, then copy it back to the messaging app when I need to send it. In ICS and JellyBean, when you select a bunch of text to copy, you get a share button to directly share it by SMS and other stuff. So it's very easy and doesn't involve copy-pasting twice. I just select, share, done. I find this to take the same number of steps and be just as easy as saving to a folder and sending. If you must do it that way, then one of the above apps should be right for you.
I regularly send long messages, sometimes even 10-15 messages long if I'm copy-pasting some stuff from the internet to someone, but I've never experienced your problem or messages breaking up and missing content. They just reach the recipient as one big message. Although, this behaviour is dependent on the mobile network provider, so I can't speak for yours. But I have never seen this happen with any GSM provider I'm my country. I'm guessing yours must be CDMA?
Sent from my Desire HD using xda premium
Could you please tell me which note taking app you use with ics thank you in advance. Tom
This is merely a work-around for how to work on multiple drafts to a recipient. First add your name and mobile device phone # to your Contacts List. Refine your first draft as thoroughly as possible. Then address that message to your own mobile device phone #, and send it. You'll see that message twice, as both your "Sent" & your "Received" message. Your first draft is "parked" in your mobile device's phone #. Now you can work on your next draft, as you would normally. If you decide to send your first draft to the recipient, just forward it from your mobile device's inbox!
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Here is my pseudo-complicated situation: I have a gate sensor at the front of my property that communicates wirelessly to my automation system. The system can then notify me via text or email anytime my gate sensor is tripped. I would like for my phone to simply act as a doorbell by just making a sound anytime someone drives through my gate. So far I have accomplished this but unfortunately for my organized & partially OCD brain, my phone's notification bar is overloaded with messages that I have to clear several times per day. Basically, I would like for it to make a sound but not to show any icon or notification in the pull-down notifications menu.
I have tried several SMS apps (Handcent, GO SMS Pro, Chomp, Textra and stock) and have been unable to find a way to accomplish this. The closest thing I've found is to use the "privacy inbox" on several of these apps that allows me to place any messages from the automation system into a different inbox. I'm able to give it a different sound, different icon and different (or no) LED blink color. Unfortunately, this still leaves my notifications pull-down menu riddled with alerts from my gate sensor.
I don't know if there is an Android-based work-around or if anyone can recommend a decent SMS app that would give me this option. I have tried the same thing with email but not only do I run into the same problem, but the delay in the syncing of the email defeats the purpose because the person will usually already be at my door before I hear the tone. Because of this, I would like to stick with the SMS method.
There may also be another option that is outside the box that I have yet to consider.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Ryan
[email protected]
I am currently using an awesome SMS/Call blocking app called aFirewall Blocker. It seems that the developer (I think it was Thomas Tong @thl16888) has discontinued the app and it has been removed from the Play store. It's unfortunate, as the app is now causing issues in Android Pie and I would have loved an update.
I am looking for a replacement app that can block texts and calls and put them, without notification, into an archive section that can be restored later. Being able to setup the blacklists with google's contact groups would be great. I know on my Samsung Note 8 the default "Messages" app has a feature like this but it does not allow scheduling. I need it to be able to perform the blocking on a set of schedules. Such as nights and weekends.
For example, I have set up aFirewall to block all my work contracts (as defined by the google contacts "work" group that I set up) on nights, weekends and optionally another schedule for vacations. All texts and calls from work people go unannounced and are "archived" or hidden until I decide to open pandoras box when I am ready. I can then read the texts and see who called and un-archive the texts back into my main text message conversations. The app even had the ability to send an auto-reply, which was great for vacations.
The point of the app is to keep my sanity and avoid having to stress out when I see people constantly and rudely trying to bother me at all hours of the night and weekends.
Anyone know of a good replacement? Even if it is a side loaded, and not officially accepted by google, app?
Hello,
I use/rely on Send SMS actions in multiple macros, throughout the macro stages to give me real time updates of what's happening in the Macros. It works fine for most parts.
The problem with some mobile carriers, specifically the one I use: Mint mobile (which is a MVNO on the T-Mobile network) that after sending many text messages, they might block you from sending new messages or put an invisible bottle neck so some text messages might arrive with a big delay or won't arrive at all. This makes it very unreliable and tricky as some "notification received" based triggers that you know that were supposed to trigger but didn't, so it's not entirely clear if it's because some legit issue with the notification not being received or identified by Macrodroid (yes, I know you can look at the macro logs) or just because your mobile carrier prevented you from receiving new text messages for a short duration.
All of this, is leading me to look for Send SMS alternatives (don't think Send Email is a good enough alternative as I want to receive notifications in my phone - And emails could suffer from the issues described above too) that don't require UI Interaction, and let me explain why: These are the main cons/issues with sending messages that require UI Interaction (for example Send WhatsApp message action that's being offered inside Macrodroid):
a.) If you have any macro that uses UI Interaction, and you want to send a message throughout the macro, because sending a message requires UI Interaction, this could break the existing flow of the macro as you need to be able to return to the same screen and state that you had before you had to send a message through UI Interaction.
b.) If you have multiple macros being triggered at the same time, and they all need to send messages, this will create a race condition - So what do you do? I don't think Macrodroid has a semaphore mechanism to prevent such case? As you basically need to make any existing macro to go to sleep, wait until the current macro that's using ui interaction to send a message finishes, before the ones that wait can continue in the same order they requested to send the message.
With that being said, are there any alternative ways (without rooting the phone) to send messages through 3rd party apps, without using UI Interaction?
Some methods to consider:
1.) Can you use the "send intent" action to tell an app to send a message to a certain user/phone without actually using UI Interaction? I know this could pose a security risk and it's unlikely to exist in any major big 3rd party messaging apps, but maybe smaller ones or ones that were created exactly for this purpose (such as MDHelper is using an older SDK to support certain actions that Macrodroid can't do)?
2.) Could you use some sort of APIs of certain big messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, Telegram, etc to send a message to a certain user/phone just by issuing some API call? Is there any support like that in Macrodroid to login to these services and then send messages (This is more Postman program level I suppose so might be a little out of scope)?
3.) Perhaps a more practical approach to avoid issues a & b, is simply not to use UI Interaction but simply send a message with the details (using send email or something like that - which again, as stated above, might not be 100% reliable) to another machine/phone that handles sending the messages, which is creating another point of failure, and could add some overhead/delay, so might not be the most ideal solution either.
Any other methods or alternatives that you know or could recommend?
Thank you.