SMS notifications

[FreeLunch]

also posted here

[sleewok]

Use Prowl people...

[Chris]

First, let's make sure everyone is on the same page: a web app cannot send a push notification for a couple of reasons, so this functionality must come through another source.

There are a few solutions mentioned in this thread including Prowl, GVMax, and GPush. I have never used any of these apps/services and I've been heads down on v1.1.0 (mixed with forum responses and support requests, etc.), so I haven't had time to personally do in-depth research on any of them. It would be nice if some of you could elaborate on the solution you currently use and the pros/cons of it. Maybe your descriptions would help other users set up a workable solution immediately.

The good news is that we made progress toward a solution for this in v1.1.0 (coming soon), but that progress was mostly around being able to support whatever push service our users choose to use. It sounds like one problem when using any of those solutions with VoiceCentral is that they must launch an app or URL from the push notification, but VoiceCentral cannot be launched in that way. Another problem with Prowl seemed to be that it requires the user to have a computer running at all times to send the push notifications, and that's not feasible for all people (believe it or not). If that's the case, we'll have to see if it's feasible to proxy the notifications through our servers.

So, let's hear it: current solutions being used and the pros/cons of them. How can we make your solution better for the average user?

[bad]

Hey Chris,

I'm the guy who mentioned Prowl in the other thread.

Unfortunately (though fortunate for the rest of us), it seems you don't entirely grasp how Prowl works so I'll gladly explain it a little better for you.

Prowl is a simple web service that accepts REST-like request (see API here); no computer necessary. There is a rate limit of 1000 requests per IP per hour but I'm certain you could get the developer to whitelist you. Additionally, Prowl offers you the ability to redirect notifications to other applications (so opening up VoiceCentral upon unlocking when a push notification arrives is possible).

It's as simple as making a single HTTP request per notification.

Hope that helps!

[ErnestoBerumen]

I took the suggestion above and registered for GVMax. I have 4 Google Voice acct's and I use a combination of GVMax & Palringo Pro for SMS and it works great!

Also, I've been using the App Notifications app from the iTunes app store and I think they offer to partner up with developers to provide them with the API to integrate your product with their service. You can find them at appnotifications.com.

Thanks!

[Chris]

When VoiceCentral v1.1.0 is released in a couple of weeks, it will support the ability to run inside Safari. It will also allow you to launch it to a specific tab. Combined, this makes it possible to receive Google Voice push notifications that open VoiceCentral via Prowl. We'll write up a detailed instructional thread later, but here is the general idea (assuming you want push for SMS and voicemails):

Once VoiceCentral v1.1.0 is released, you can follow these instructions to set up Prowl and forward your GV SMS messages and new voicemail notifications to your Gmail account. When you get to the step for setting up a forwarding rule in your Gmail account, make sure the From field has @txt.voice.google.com OR voice-noreply@google.com in it. Entering both addresses allows you to have 1 forwarding rule for both SMS and voicemail notifications.

This is the part that is not listed in that article:

We recommend setting up two redirections in the Prowl app on your device--one for SMS and one for voicemails.

For the SMS redirection, enter txt.voice.google.com for the application name in the first field. Then choose VoiceCentral SMS (Website) from the list of applications that can be launched. The SMS redirection should look like this:




For the Voicemail redirection, enter voice-noreply for the application name in the first field. Then choose VoiceCentral Voicemail (Website) from the list of applications that can be launched. The voicemail redirection should look like this:




Using the settings above, new SMS notifications will open VoiceCentral to the SMS tab and new voicemail notifications will open the Voicemails tab. This setup works beautifully and we think you'll love it.

[recycle]

Oh man that is going to be sweet!

[john.i.payne]

I think prowl is a great addition to black swan.

[jjulius50]

Chris:

I am looking forward to the use of Prowl's redirection capability. Any update on the status of v 1.1.0?

Thank you

[Chris]

We're hoping to release it to the public by the end of this week. Hang in there--it's worth it!