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Selective call forwarding app

MK_9

MK_9

Newbie
I've been looking for something like this since I got my droid. Haven't seen anything in multiple searches through the market, several app sites or any of the android forums.

Things I think might be cool as options:

Ability to set up groups. On my days off, I'd love to be able to avoid any and all calls from work. If I can set up a group list (supervisors that feel the need to bug me on my day off :D) where I can turn that group off and they all go straight to voicemail, I'd be a very happy guy. Just a bit of a pain to go through the 6-7 people and turn that feature on / off for every one of them. Then go back through and take it off again.

Icon in notification bar. - Shows that the forwarding app is on and functioning. Also maybe what group is turned to auto forwarding.

Also an automatic scheduler might be kind of cool if possible. Automatically turns certain groups on or off at a scheduled day / time.
 
110 views and no one willing to take this idea on? The few folks I've mentioned this idea to thought it was something they'd definitely use.

My roommate is a developer for iPhone apps or I'd have him give it a go, but he doesn't know much about the programming language for Android.
 
My friend actually asked me to build something like this for him as well. I guess the demand is there for sure :)

I may look into building something like this -- but I have no idea how long it might take... To be completely honest, I'm pretty limited on free time.

But maybe I'll at least start doing a little research.
 
Since it's been a couple weeks, I thought I would provide an update. So far, the app allows to you create and manage groups and manually send them to voicemail (or not). I've also started on the automatic scheduling piece, which is what I'm currently working on now. I'll try and provide updates at least every couple weeks until it's done.

I did notice though, in looking at the way contacts are handled in Android, there was a significant change between version 1.6 and 2.0. So, for right now, I'm building it according to the 2.0 way of doing things. I saw you mentioned you have a droid, so I'm assuming that won't be a problem. Eventually, when I have more time, I'll make a version that is compatible with both.

Let me know if you have any comments or questions!
 
I thought about asking a few days ago and figured it hadn't been too long. Didn't figure being a pest about it would get me far, lol.

Indeed I do have a droid.

Thanks for the update man and it sounds like things are going well. Very much looking forward to checking it out. I'll wait patiently for the next update.

Thanks again.
 
Just wanted to let you know that I'm at technical training all week this week, so that's going to be a little bit of a set back. So, that'll probably make my update next week a little less exciting ;)

Either way, I'll let you know where I'm at next week. Have a great day!
 
So -- for the promised update:
I think I can say that most of the "heavy lifting" is done. I've figured out how to incorporate the schedule piece, which took a couple of weeks (as you can see).

For my todo list, I still need to do the notification, the settings page, some cleanup/optimization and then design a couple of icons.

Once that's done, I'll need to do some serious testing and troubleshooting to make sure that everything works like I think it should :) I may try to add a couple more features that will hopefully improve robustness as well.

Anyway -- that's the state of the application. If you have any questions, let me know!
 
I'd also be very interested in such an application, but I've got a question:

As described, I would like to be able to specify groups and have the app manage calls according to the groups... however I'm not interested in sending users to voice mail. Instead, I would like to be able to forward calls from a specific group and let calls from all the other groups go through.

Is that even possible? I mean is it possible to do call forwarding based on caller id? Or are all incoming calls treated the same way once you activate call forwarding? Meaning it's technically impossible to forward calls based on caller id.
 
To clarify: my (cheap) carrier doesn't offer voicemail, that's why I'd like to use call forwarding instead.

(And Google Voice isn't available in Switzerland, so that isn't an option for me....)
 
anti-pop said:
To clarify: my (cheap) carrier doesn't offer voicemail, that's why I'd like to use call forwarding instead.

(And Google Voice isn't available in Switzerland, so that isn't an option for me....)
Click to expand...

Well, based on some research, it looks like Call Forwarding is carrier-specific, not device-specific -- meaning that the phone itself does not have control over the forwarding. If that's true, then unfortunately, I think that it would be technically impossible to do what you are requesting.

However, you may want to look into the Call Blocking or Call Filtering apps available on the market. While they don't forward to another number, they give you a little bit more granular control in terms of blocking calls from a specific number(s).

For now, I think I'm going to just focus on sending contacts to voicemail, but I will definitely keep an eye out for this, in case things ever change.

Hopefully that answers your question. If not, just let me know!
 
Thank you for that answer.

It indeed seems to work the way I hope it wouldn't ;)

Meaning that the phone simply registers/enables call forwarding and it is then handled on the carrier-end.

I've tried a few of those call blocking/filtering apps, but they all work the same way: When someone calls they always hear a single regular tone and then it switches to a busy/disconnected one... which tells the caller they're being filtered/blocked. That's not what I'm looking for.

Anyway, thank for the answer and good luck with your app.
 
Thought I'd check in on this thread. Used to get emails if there were updates. Hadn't gotten any so I figured there was nothing new. I was incorrect. :) Glad to hear things are going well and thanks again for the updates man!
 
MK_9 said:
Thought I'd check in on this thread. Used to get emails if there were updates. Hadn't gotten any so I figured there was nothing new. I was incorrect. :) Glad to hear things are going well and thanks again for the updates man!
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Welcome back :) Yeah, I tend to just check this page manually from time to time as well because some times I get those email notifications, and sometimes I don't. Ha. You're welcome for the updates. As always, feel free to ask any questions if you have any, otherwise, I'll post another update in a couple of weeks.

androidos said:
Have you made this application available for download somewhere? Or maybe a demo of it? Thanks.
Click to expand...

MK_9 is correct -- it's currently still in development. Once it's done I am planning on putting it on the market so that it's available for download though. However, as that time draws nearer, I'm planning on putting together a web page for it that will include screenshoots, features, and probably some form of an FAQ.

So, in the meantime, feel free to check back in as I post updates -- or, if you had any questions about the application, I'd be glad to answer them.

Have a great day!
 
aaatos said:
Welcome to our site
for the applications:
Only Yoy-Don't Disturb Me (DDM)-"DDMH" (Don't Disturb Me Here). I think they offer what you need
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While interesting, it doesn't seem to do what NoSense is working on. Doesn't look like they forward the calls, just mutes the ringers. From what NoSense has posted here, looks like his offering is closer to what I'm looking for. Not saying your apps wouldn't have a use, just not exactly filling the need I have. Thanks though.
 
I want an app that tells the caller my phone number doesn't work anymore. As of now, I'm using a couple apps that sends the caller right to voicemail, so they know my number is still working. If the caller knows that I'm sending them right to voicemail, they can just simply call from another number. But if they believe the number in their system is no longer working, common sense would say that they would stop calling.
 
jcsaxx said:
I want an app that tells the caller my phone number doesn't work anymore. As of now, I'm using a couple apps that sends the caller right to voicemail, so they know my number is still working. If the caller knows that I'm sending them right to voicemail, they can just simply call from another number. But if they believe the number in their system is no longer working, common sense would say that they would stop calling.
Click to expand...

Similar to the other request above, I'm not sure that this can be managed from an app running on the phone -- it may have to be something that is carrier controlled/specific. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to a wait a little longer for something like this to come about. But, if I come across anything, I'll post it here.
 
And now for the update that you may or may not be waiting for :)

I would say that I'm definitely in the home stretch now. I have a couple more icons to do (most are done), and I have some documentation to do, including setting up the web page. Once that's done, it'll be good to go for an initial release, unless I find some crazy bug that's just unacceptable.

Which brings me to putting it on the market. I was thinking of starting the app off at $1.99 and see how things go. Does that seem fair?
 
NoSenseWorrying said:
And now for the update that you may or may not be waiting for :)

I would say that I'm definitely in the home stretch now. I have a couple more icons to do (most are done), and I have some documentation to do, including setting up the web page. Once that's done, it'll be good to go for an initial release, unless I find some crazy bug that's just unacceptable.

Which brings me to putting it on the market. I was thinking of starting the app off at $1.99 and see how things go. Does that seem fair?
Click to expand...

I've paid more for likely less. :p Looking forward to the release. Thanks man.
 
Outstanding!

And the timing couldn't have been better, as tomorrow is my day off. :D

Been fiddling with it since I got home, as far as I can tell, I couldn't ask for more with this app.

Kudos and much thanks man!
 
MK_9 said:
Outstanding!

And the timing couldn't have been better, as tomorrow is my day off. :D

Been fiddling with it since I got home, as far as I can tell, I couldn't ask for more with this app.

Kudos and much thanks man!
Click to expand...

Awesome -- I'm glad to hear that it seems like what you were looking for. Let me know what you think when you get more time to play around with it -- I'm always open to suggestions :)
 
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