Anyone here do "phone apps"? (Pepi?)

[M3gaW0lf]

I'm the former "spy1", if anyone remembers back that far. I need a phone app written...

The app itself needs to be password protected to open it.

CLOSING the app must totally shut it down so that the password would again be required to re-start/access it at all.

The app would have to be written to cover Android, iOs and Windows.

Purpose/Function - The phone app is to send out a "HELP!" message (that's all, just "Help!"), with the sender's (a) actual location displayed (app capable of using geo-locating services to broadcast its' location) or (b) the users' physical "home" address displayed. (a) or (b) would be a "user-selectable" feature, one or the other.

The "Help!" message itself must be triggered by the user keying in a user-chosen three-digit code on their cellphone after the program is opened with a separate/different password.

When the "Help!" signal is generated (set off) on any phone by a user, all OTHER phones that have the same software installed need to give off an audible "beeping" sound that doesn't stop until the other phone's users OPEN the program and check the "HELP!" message.

When they do, all that will be displayed is the location of the phone that is giving off the HELP!" signal - and an option to MapQuest/Google driving directions to the phone giving off the "HELP!" signal FROM wherever the phone receiving the "HELP!" message is.

After the "HELP!" message is read and either acted-upon or ignored by any receiving software user, their closing the software on THEIR phone sends the "location" details, time/date to a log-file within the program, which they can recall and view later.

--------------------------------------------------------
(1) Is such an app "doable"?
(2) Anyone here know anyone that could write such an app? Pete

[PepiMK]

Of course I do remember you

Let me try to give this some thoughts....

Questions:

• Does Windows refer to the desktop or mobile OS?
• Should this be server-based or the ring of people stored within the app, customizable or not?
• Approximate area (country-wide ws. city-wide, regarding reception issues)?

Thoughts on the features:

• Password-protected opening - easily possible on all three systems
• Total shutdown on closing - due to all systems being multi-tasking, that's difficult, unless you refer to manually closing it my choosing a dedicated "Close" action/button/something (and not to simply switching to another app).
• Geo-location - APIs on iOS and Android should be simple; on Windows (desktop), that might be difficult (IP-based stuff is very inaccurate, doesn't seem to help here, there's no "generic" GPS API to my knowledge, but the last GPS I used on a desktop was a Bluetooth dongle via emulated serial port - that's standardized, but the user needs to select port, baud rate, etc.). No idea about Windows (mobile), might be as easy as the other mobile systems.
• Trigger - easy if server-based, don't have a good idea for a completely decentral system (standard P2P approach would contradict the "close it" idea I think, and even with a separate app for reception and communication, memory management might simply close it).
• Signal reception - probably depends on some factors. On Windows (desktop), constant polling would allow to receive shortly afterwards. iOS can receive push notifications, but I think those just appear once. Polling not the best option since the memory manager might just close the polling application. Would need a jailbroken iPhone most likely. Not sure about Android, but I think it also auto-closes apps - which means the same issue. An incoming call would ring until the user accepts the incoming call (but this is not password protected as opening the program would be!). Another concept would be in hardware - as a member of our voluntary fire brigade, I always carry a digital pager that has an ugly annoying sound and displays a message I have to acknowledge. But again no password protection, and even more expensive than a server with calling capabilities would be.
• Driving directions - I have written this recently on iOS for the App of our voluntary fire brigade... all systems can integrate a browser, and with Google Maps, this is absolutely easy.
• Logging - simple.

To summarize: the one real issue is how the notification gets transmitted from the server to the recipients. Will give that some more thought over some coffee later.

[M3gaW0lf]

Thank you for giving it this much thought!

Desktop AND mobile Windows

"Ring of people stored within the app, customizable (people can be added/removed from the list by the individual user - any way to update the list of people receiving "Alerts" automatically from a central server?).

Nationwide

MUST close all the way down and not be viewable again until password is entered again (a dedicated "Close" button/key works for me) OR can NOT be accessed/activated again until the password is entered again (even if it isn't "really" shut down).

Getting my hopes up here, PepiMK! Thanks again! Pete

[M3gaW0lf]

On "Purpose/Function" in the first post, I'm thinking it would be better to just stick with displaying the initiator's home address, not their actual location at the time of setting off the alert. It gets too complicated like that and the standard scenario of the programs' use is needing help at the residence itself of the user. Pete