[SailfishDevel] Fwd: Re: Re: How to get contacts and sms through Qt(C++)

[christopher.lamb at thurweb.ch]

Hi Bernd

Thanks for your interest.

I understand that there is a strong need to prevent apps that send  
SMSes without the user's consent (a security issue), or to premium SMS  
numbers, thereby defrauding the user.

But we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater. There will be  
apps where SMS sending / handling is a primary part of the use-case,  
and where the user willingly consents to each SMS being sent by that  
app.

My own use-case (simplified) is this:
My main hobby is paragliding. Mostly we land close to where we started  
(at the foot of the mountain), but sometime we go cross-country and  
land many kilometres away, and need to communicate back to a recovery  
team the GPS location of the landing site.

The secondary use-case (secondary only because it should be far less  
often used). Is the emergency situation. You have landed in a tree, or  
as happened to me at the start of this year, are stuck on a cold and  
snowy mountain slope with darkness approaching. Here you need to alert  
the recovery team with your location, and the fact that your status is  
NOT OK.

My app uses GPS and SMS to achieve this. Before flying the user sets  
up a number of SMS templates (basically pre-filled messages to which  
GPS coords will later be added. On landing the user fires up the app,  
which starts the GPS. Once the GPS has acquired a fix, the user can  
then chose between "Ok" and "Status NOT Ok" SMSes. Based on this  
choice, the appropriate SMS template is taken, the GPS coords are  
added to this, and a pre-selected contact associated with the SMS  
template is chosen. The user sees both the text of the SMS, and the  
chosen contact name and number.

At this point the user can press "send", and the SMS is sent to the  
displayed contact. He also has the option of adding further text to  
the SMS, and of changing the contact.

The aim is that he user should be able to send the SMS with an  
absolute minimum of button presses, either because he may be tired (Ok  
Situation), or because he is tired / injured / cold / wet (Emergency  
situation). On the Harmattan version of the app I have one press to  
open the app, a second to chose between Ok / Not Ok, and a third for  
Send. In this case the phone may be being used at the limits of  
touchscreen capabilities (cold and wet), so big buttons are called for.

It is in no way concealed from the user that the app sends SMSes:  
Indeed it is the purpose of the app.

There are other apps out there with similar use cases. The Swiss  
Helicopter rescue service REGA have one for iOS and Android.

Later I intend to make "the other half": in this case an app for the  
Recovery team, that would pick incoming landed SMSes from pilots, and  
display distance and bearing for each of these relevant to the  
position of the recovery team.

Happy Christmas all.

Chris



Zitat von "Bernd Wachter" <bernd.wachter at jolla.com>:

> <christopher.lamb at thurweb.ch> writes:
>
>> Hi Bernd
>>
>> Thanks, I am aware of that, but I think it is an inelegant solution,
>> acceptable ad interim as a workaround, but not longterm.
>
> Allowing arbitrary applications to send SMS brings a big cost risk for
> the user, due to all the premium SMS services out there -> it'll only be
> possible once we enforce proper application permissions.
>
>> My app is designed for emergency use, must be easy to use as possible,
>> and therefore I require a larger send button. I know from personal
>> experience that trying to operate a mobile when it is wet and below
>> zero degrees is not easy (at the very edge of the capabilities of
>> touch screen technology).
>
> Can you describe what exactly you're trying to do?
>
> Bernd
>
>