No Push
June 21st, 2009
I get this a lot and I think it’s time to address it publicly. You will never find Push in apps with data not originating from the developer, plain and simple. I order for me to make Push work, I would need my own server to monitor your account (yes, I would need your login info) real-time and Push notifications to your devices. You could imagine the beefy machine(s) I would need for my current user base (plus once it goes public). I would love to do it otherwise – don’t hate the app simply because it can’t do some new thing you heard about on TV. Once/If Google makes a GV app, they would be the ones to implement this…
Sorry.
hahahaha “because….you heard about on TV” Classic.
Thanks for adding the back and forth sms capability. Tis been great
Can’t you just get Google to buy you out and then add the feature?
Who needs push.
I see thing thing useless for now. (for now)
and Google voice already send me a text to notify me of voicemails.
Between twitter and facebook and now ap mobile, too many notifications!
Keep a good app running to its simplest ways!
Well, iPod touch users are the main ones who will be sad that push isn’t in the app. I’m glad that Sean has mentioned it, however. [I was secretly hoping for it.] With push, SMS back and forth messages become much easier if one doesn’t have their cell-phone around (for non-iPhone users). I personally think the option to have notification is important. It’s up to you to filter out your notifications! Do you really need a notification from a friend on facebook during the daytime at work?
[meant all in jest and friendship, Marvin.]
Is the app doing ok with backgrounding, Sean?
@AllenH. Isn’t that only available to people that jailbreak their phones? Never tried it in that fashion
It would be cool as hell if someone wrote a desktop app that emailed the texts to ya…I don’t understand why google doesn’t allow an Email Text option as it is
@clifyt I was thinking something along the same lines. I am sure Apple would forbid Sean to write an app that runs on local machine and sends push notifications on behalf of your app (no overhead for Sean, but too much freedom for Apple) – but maybe Sean could run a much slimmer server that does NOT check GV account but instead simply waits for a passworded hit to it and proxies out the push notifications on behalf of the desktop clients? So anyone can write their own desktop poller/checker of GV, and all that Sean’s server needs to do is to send the push when asked to. Or am I over-thinking this?
@Michael That is an idea…
Sean, how about a subscription payment to get push? Say, $20/year or something. That would help pay for the large server you would have to maintain. As it is, push is the one thing that could cut out the $30 unlimited text package I pay for every month and an annual $20 is pittance in comparison. I’m sure others would agree. I’d rather give you money instead of AT&T any day…
I agree with @Nathan on this one. I was secretly hoping push as well for this reason. I 2nd the “I’d rather give you money” sentiment!
@John Allen I think once an API for Google Voice comes out, I’ll be on this like…white on rice. Building a server side app to scrape everyone’s account would be nasty and resource intensive. I’ve been in talks with Google…I’m on top of things.
Glad to see you address the push issue. I am trying to switch everyone over to using my Google Voice number (now that you can switch to a vanity number for $10). I downloaded your app last night and am using it to send/rec’v all my texts. I wish I could get a push message when I got a new one, but I understand your dilemma.
On the issue of copy/paste? ETA?
@Nick Starr Next version…no ETA..soon
Also…I was using this app pretty much all day. I LOVE IT. I however am like most people that I know, and almost never talk on the phone. I think you could have a market for people using JUST an SMS app replacement. I know I would get rid of Apple’s SMS app from my home screen if there was simply a GV SMS app (and hell I would even buy it after already paying for GV Mobile).
You could thus brand a GV phone app w/voicemail as well, but I think something with SMS would be amazing. It would be nice to launch right into SMS instead of the dialpad, which I almost NEVER use.
@Nick Starr I hear ya…hang tight
Thank you for an awesome app that works well! I just got invited to Google voice yesterday and was so happy to find your app. (Was worried there wouldn’t be one yet!)
I, like others, was hoping for Push, but didn’t know all that would have to go into it. I hope there could be another way for this to still happen in the future.
Subscribing to your blog for updates and following on Twitter.
I have push working in Google Voice using Growl for Windows and Prowl on the Iphone. The author of GfW released a script today. Very useful for SMS.
This is an old thread, but just wanted to make sure any one wondering about push knows that Google Sync works perfectly for pushing SMS alerts to you of new texts, if you just set GV to send your text to email and enable Google sync on your phone.
I can only use this app when I’m at home connected to wi-fi, are you developing a version that will be able to work offline when I’m away?