When I open the Vodia APP and dial out, android will open the original Phone APP.

[SharChen]

Vodia APP version 5.0.1 

1. Open Vodia dial extension 1234

2. Vodia dial out and prompt the original android phone APP dial 1234 ...

We don't encounter this issue in previous version, could you help it? thanks.

 

[Vodia Telephone System]

We now use the native android telecom system for the calls, so that is normal now.

This has the benefit of call waiting working properly with the native dialer as well as other VoIP that also use the central telecom system.

It also has the benefit of the car bluetooth call controls buttons working  as well as the watch.

Thanks,  

[WaveVoIP]

3 hours ago, Vodia Telephone System said:

We now use the native android telecom system for the calls, so that is normal now.

This has the benefit of call waiting working properly with the native dialer as well as other VoIP that also use the central telecom system.

It also has the benefit of the car bluetooth call controls buttons working  as well as the watch.

Thanks,  

I'm going to say this isn't the best move. It has literally made the android app not operable. I don't like it and none of my customers like it, and I can assume the same goes for majority of your partners that manage and deploy your system.

I have personally tested it on android 12 and 13 on a pixel 3 and Samsung galaxy s20 with android app version 5.0.1. Neither of those work correctly. I have made sure all notifications and app permissions are enabled.

Notifications for an incoming call don't work. It will pop up on the phone and when you click on it to answer the call, the Vodia phone app opens for a second and then closes. You aren't able to actually answer the call. Even if you manually open the app. There is no incoming call available to be answered on the app. Even when there is literally a call going straight to the extension. You cannot answer an incoming call on the android app.

When making an outgoing call from the app, it will start to dial from the app, and also simultaneously start to dial from the native phone app. It's dialing the number or extension that you call literally from both at the same time. The native phone app will come on top of the vodia app and will not be able to complete the call. It will give a carrier error message or even go to the voicemail box of whatever number you call. You have to literally end the call on the native phone app and then the Vodia phone app will come back up and you can continue the call like you normally would. This happens when you dial a regular phone number or an extension number. So making outgoing calls are a pain. Customers don't want to have to end the native app call just to be able to use their phone app. You don't have any transfer features, call record, etc from the native phone app. ... I understand the want to have car bluetooth and smart watches to have interoperability with the app.. But we aren't able to use the app for the main reason it's made for. To be a phone. 

Maybe there is something that I am missing and I can fix the issues in some sort of settings. And if that's the case then please let me know. But as it stands now, at least for me and my customers, it's made the android app literally useless.

[djanjic]

To add my two cents on this topic, our customers are furious about this. As the previous poster said it, it is unusable. This change was not good. Any plans to change back the way it was, this was not an improvement?

Dusan

[WizardOfAus]

Hi @Vodia Telephone System,

Forcing the native android phone application without any way of reversing it or giving end users the option is a terrible move by Vodia. My clients and I are experiencing all the exact issues @WaveVoIP mentioned in the above post. The Vodia app is now basically unusable.

I am not sure what your internal testing processes are but they seriously need adjusting. It seems that with every new build of Vodia where it be in the web, windows app or mobile app, some major piece of functionality breaks and we have to roll back versions and spend hours on the phone helping clients.

There's only so many times when you can call a bug a feature.

[Vodia PBX]

Well the Android ecosystem is hard to manage. There is a huge amount of different OS favors out there, and many phone manufacturers don't update to the latest Android for a long time. It seems that this is part of the problem. We were excited to hear that the latest Android comes with a long-awaited feature to handle calls through a central, OS-like instance but it seems that using it is not everywhere working as it should. I guess we have to seriously consider taking a step back and see if we can address all devices in a satisfactory way.

[Vodia Telephone System]

Can you please open a ticket with us so we can get into the details.

Because we have tested it on several models and OS versions and neither incoming or outgoing are issues.

Our other big partners had a few issues with a few customers because of the confusion about the "Vodia Phone" not being switched on in the native app but once they were able to communicate that, there has been no problems.

 

Can you please confirm if that setting is on:

When you upgraded, did it ask you about turning on the Vodia Phone.

That has to be turned on.

If you missed it, you can still get to it but it is a deeply hidden setting from Android.

The reason is, now we use the native dialer for the calls, and the native dialer must allow Vodia Phone to use it.

Under the native dialer, NOT our app, go to the three dots (burger) on top right, then Settings, then Other call settings (Calls in case of Pixel), then Calling accounts, then Active calling accounts, and you should see "Vodia Phone" with a switch in front. Turn it on.

For some phones the setting names may be a little different. But that has to be turned on.

 

OR

 

You could clear the cache and settings of the app, uninstall it and install it again but at the beginning, please turn on that setting when it goes to that screen, then you can go back to the app to give the rest of the permissions.

 

Just in case, you want to know the the reason for using the native dialer approach. It is to use a common telecom platform for all calls, VoIP or otherwise, so that all the related features are available in a consistent way and that each such app is aware of the status of the other such apps under a common platform for a better user experience like call waiting etc. The benefits were too many to ignore, in fact it is the recommended way for a VoIP app or calling app.

- Call waiting: The app can now do call waiting with other apps which follow this scheme too, as well as normal GSM calls. So if you are on our app and new call comes in either through the app or even a GSM call, you should hear the knocking (beeps), when you pick it, it will ask whether to put the app call on hold and when you do, the app will go on hold while you finish the gsm call. Then you can go back to the app to resume the previous call. And vice versa.

- All the call routing (handset, headset, speaker, bluetooth) and their volumes or ringtones and their volumes etc. are handled by the native app, so that there are no problems there.

- Bluetooth is not only audio now but also the controls and caller id, like from your car or watch (when they support BT controls that is). So (when supported) the call should show on your car dash, and you can accept of reject the call from the car or steering buttons, or end call etc. The same for the watch.

- Call logs will also go in the native history now.

- Any other feature that is integrated from the OS with the native dialer should also be available for the app now, like call screening.

- And many things of that nature ...

[Gerald]

How do we make a clear differentiation between calls from Vodia and calls from the Native app?

[Vodia PBX]

On Android, we are entering the phase when the call management is done by the operating system. I agree it's a little bit puzzling that Android does not seem to care which app was dialing the number, but that affects all apps not just the Vodia app. I guess time will tell if the next update of Android will address this issue. But as fas as I can tell, the app itself has no control over this. 

[Gerald]

So, short answer is: There is no way to do so. Got it.

Any chance you could add a feature for an alternate ring tone? To differentiate between Vodia and the Native app?

[SeanKann]

I've noticed this since the update on Android. If I call a local ext, it calls through the native app but then cancels out. But if I call a local phone number it calls from both the vodia app and the native app.

[Vodia Telephone System]

When you upgraded, did it ask you about turning on the Vodia Phone.

That has to be turned on.

If you missed it, you can still get to it but it is a deeply hidden setting from Android.

The reason is, now we use the native dialer for the calls, and the native dialer must allow Vodia Phone to use it.

Under the native dialer, NOT our app, go to the three dots (burger) on top right, then Settings, then Other call settings (Calls in case of Pixel), then Calling accounts, then Active calling accounts, and you should see "Vodia Phone" with a switch in front. Turn it on.

For some phones the setting names may be a little different. But that has to be turned on.

 

[jsstme]

Yes, turned vodia on.

Now, even if I log out of the app, mt incoming phone calls are on speaker. Also, if I don't log out of the app, I get calls that I have no option to disconnect from. It even messes up my blue tooth in the car. I literally have to uninstall this app when I'm done working and reintall it when I need to use it. It's a nightmare! I have co workers who use apple phones and don't have these issues.  Please fix this.

[Vodia Telephone System]

Can you please open a ticket with us, so we can look at it in more detail.

That is certainly not the general behavior that others are experiencing.

We may have to do a screen share to see this problem and understand it.

Thanks,