Android M Do not Disturb rant

[1adam]

Android M allows you to set specific "starred" contacts who will override the DND (muted) mode. E.g. You are asleep and only want to be interrupted by a family emergency.

However this only handles cellular calls and SMS messages. Not WhatsApp, Hangouts, Gmail etc even though those particulars are listed under the starred contact.

No idea why Android still lags behind. I used to have BlackBerry's and their OS could do this for the contact in any extended app about 10 years ago. So if there is an important message you better hope the contact uses one of the prescribed two methods Google assumes.

 

[Almeuit]

I guess they figure since most have unlimited calls/txts they will use that.

If Android doesn't suite you there though you may want to consider BB again and trying one of their newer models.

 

[LeoRex]

I don't see it as lagging behind, I see it as doing it for a reason.

Contacts in your phone and SMS are consolidated... so managing who is starred is simple. And limiting it to only phone calls and SMS means it is easier to administer and takes the responsibility out of the hands of the devs.

Personally, if there is some kind of emergency and someone needs to get a hold of me immediately, I would hope they call me and not try to ping me on Facebook.

 

[1adam]

Okay... forget the "emergency" but instead a case where you just want a white list exception. Like being in a meeting but wish to permit message tone for anything from family.

True most people have unlimited calls and texts but why restrict to that? Those are being superseded by WhatsApp, iMessages, Facebook messenger, etc. For example here in the UK we've gone from 39.7bn texts sent in 2011 (the peak) down to 21bn in 2014. Less than half of messages sent were SMS. It's a worldwide trend where number of texts sent last year fell by 7bn despite smart phone ownership growing dramatically. Thus I think Android still has a poor and increasingly irrelevant execution of that white list "priority mode".

I've never yet found a reliable 3rd party app that achieves it, interested if anyone else has...

I guess they figure since most have unlimited calls/txts they will use that.

if there is some kind of emergency and someone needs to get a hold of me immediately, I would hope they call me and not try to ping me on Facebook.

 

[Almeuit]

Okay... forget the "emergency" but instead a case where you just want a white list exception. Like being in a meeting but wish to permit message tone for anything from family.

True most people have unlimited calls and texts but why restrict to that? Those are being superseded by WhatsApp, iMessages, Facebook messenger, etc. For example here in the UK we've gone from 39.7bn texts sent in 2011 (the peak) down to 21bn in 2014. Less than half of messages sent were SMS. It's a worldwide trend where number of texts sent last year fell by 7bn despite smart phone ownership growing dramatically. Thus I think Android still has a poor and increasingly irrelevant execution of that white list "priority mode".

I've never yet found a reliable 3rd party app that achieves it, interested if anyone else has...

I would say the drastic drop was the introduction of iMessage for iPhone to iPhone. Not so much for things like Whatsapp.

Maybe one day they will include it -- who knows?

 

[LeoRex]

Well... adding that in isn't as easy as it sounds. There are a bunch of ways of doing it, obviously, but they all require OS changes, new APIs, a new OS permission, etc.

 

[gone down south]

Wouldn't it be up to those apps to hook into the APIs and make themselves compatible, not the other way around?

 

[1adam]

Wouldn't it be up to those apps to hook into the APIs and make themselves compatible, not the other way around?

I'm sure RIM did it natively with BlackBerry. Not sure what's different for them but if your contact in the BlackBerry address book has the app linked (like Android does with your gmail, hangouts, Skype, WhatsApp etc) then it tags that instance as being from the contact regardless of the app. It reflects that in this day and age people are communicating with each other via many different means because of apps being like channels.

 

[richardlong]

Well this will help us.

 

[LeoRex]

Wouldn't it be up to those apps to hook into the APIs and make themselves compatible, not the other way around?

Yep... the apps would have to buy into the API.... but those APIs have yet to exist, so Google would have to develop and release them first.

I wouldn't hold my breath. Just eyeballing things, this would end up being a complete overhaul on how contacts work and create a whole, new 'universal contact' feature..... and that has a little bit of a pandora's box vibe.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Okay... forget the "emergency" but instead a case where you just want a white list exception. Like being in a meeting but wish to permit message tone for anything from family.

In that scenario, aren't you going to check your phone anyway after the meeting?

I really don't see the problem with it as it sits. If someone really needs to contact me, and it's urgent, they will call/text. Any other form of communication can and probably should wait.

There really doesn't seem to be that much of a need for another communication medium to override the DND feature of the OS.

 

[dpham00]

If it is an emergency, I would hope that my family member call me and not attempt to email me, message me on Facebook or hangouts or, for that matter, Text me.

Android M allows you to set specific "starred" contacts who will override the DND (muted) mode. E.g. You are asleep and only want to be interrupted by a family emergency.

However this only handles cellular calls and SMS messages. Not WhatsApp, Hangouts, Gmail etc even though those particulars are listed under the starred contact.

No idea why Android still lags behind. I used to have BlackBerry's and their OS could do this for the contact in any extended app about 10 years ago. So if there is an important message you better hope the contact uses one of the prescribed two methods Google assumes.

 

[dpham00]

It is an emergency... I don't care what it costs, if an emergency happens, I want to be there for my friends or family... Even though I don't have unlimited minutes

I guess they figure since most have unlimited calls/txts they will use that.

If Android doesn't suite you there though you may want to consider BB again and trying one of their newer models.

 

[Almeuit]

It is an emergency... I don't care what it costs, if an emergency happens, I want to be there for my friends or family... Even though I don't have unlimited minutes

Same.

 

[dpham00]

For the vast majority of people, this isn't an issue... And it is unlikely that Google would make it work this way. So perhaps you would be better off with blackberry, if this is very important to you.

Okay... forget the "emergency" but instead a case where you just want a white list exception. Like being in a meeting but wish to permit message tone for anything from family.

True most people have unlimited calls and texts but why restrict to that? Those are being superseded by WhatsApp, iMessages, Facebook messenger, etc. For example here in the UK we've gone from 39.7bn texts sent in 2011 (the peak) down to 21bn in 2014. Less than half of messages sent were SMS. It's a worldwide trend where number of texts sent last year fell by 7bn despite smart phone ownership growing dramatically. Thus I think Android still has a poor and increasingly irrelevant execution of that white list "priority mode".

I've never yet found a reliable 3rd party app that achieves it, interested if anyone else has...

 

[VDub2174]

I equate DND as an emergency service. If an emergency comes up and a family member or friend needs me then they can call me.

If you look at it from a meeting point of view; I'm in a work meeting so FB, Hangouts, WhatsApp, etc are not important messages to be looking at while in a meeting. If I'm conducting a meeting and an employee is looking at FB messenger or something like that then they clearly don't care what I'm talking about and probably shouldn't be working for me if FB messenger is a priority.

That's just my opinion though

 

[rob damiani]

Doesn't it work the exact same way in Lollipop?