No call notification/signal/ring tone at other party when trying to start a call (audio)

ā„¹ļø Support šŸ’¬ Talk (spreed)
1

Nextcloud 13.0.4 on OpenSuse Leap 15.0
Talk 3.2.4 (Server)
Talk App 2.1.2, on Android 5 and 6 devices

Hi all,

first of all: No discussion Nextcloud is one of the coolest FOSS applications available, and TALK enhanced this, thanks to all who made this possible!!!

Started a while ago with Talk, installation etc. worked like a charme, no special settings serverside:
STUN: stun.nextcloud.com:443
No TURN server specified
No signaling server (?, German " Signalisierungsserver") specified

Calls itself, both audio/video, between nextcloud users (currently my wife, our son, and me :slight_smile) works fine from start on, with older app releases already. Both audio/video calls from mobile to mobile, and also mobile to pc (also Linux). I was surprised that all calls seems to be a pure peer to peer call participants communication, checked my OpenSuse VPS during an established call, no noteworthy systemload during that video call. Pretty well designed :wink

Only thing currently NOT working is the signaling of calls, both audio and video, as far as I understood a feature of the new app? Nextcloud shows in Browser a msg ā€œuser ā€¦ tried to contact youā€, for calls and chat msgs, as before, but although new app allows to select separate ring tones for calls and msgs, nothing is signaled at the other party.

Both my wifeā€™s tablet and my smartphone in front of me, tested both re-entering an existing conversation and trying to start a call, and also leaving the conversation, creating a new one and trying to start a call: No signaling, both call directions, from android 5 to 6, and vice versa.

As I coulndā€™t find any documentation about Talk Appā€™s feature, not sure if I missed something? Must signaling somehow be enabled? App rights missing, on the Android side? Must I have a ā€œsignaling serverā€ (now?), although screen in admin view says ā€œoptional only for large installations, empty for internal signalingā€?

Not a very big issue, as the calls itself are working fine, if both parties join on demand, but would be cool being able to use this new feature.

Regards,
Michael

2 Likes
2

Hi,

what phones do you use? Have you enabled priority notifications for the app, disabled battery optimisations?

3

Hi Mario

a) Lenovo (Motorola) C2, also known as K10a40, Android 6.0
b) (German) Telekom PULS Tablet, Android 5.0.1

Afaik, app-specifc battery optimization settings are from Android 6+ on, at least I canā€™t find them on the 5 tablet. Same for ā€œpriority notificationsā€, afaik also 6+

To test, Iā€™ve set TALKā€™s settings on the Marshmallow device to ā€œpriorityā€ notifications and ā€œdo not optimizeā€ for energy saving, no change, no notification, no signaling.

But, maybe relevant, Iā€™m not sure that these options really have an influence, in my case: Even when I have TALK open, and on top of the screen, when Iā€™m ā€œwaitingā€ on the tab ā€œConversationsā€ on the 6 device, screen unlock and no doze mode or similar, and start a call from the 5 tablet, Iā€™m NOT getting any notification, neither outside nor inside TALK. As said, only within Firefox, where Iā€™m recently typing this answer :slight_smile:

4

P.S.: Iā€™m using Nextcloud Talkā€™s F-Droid version, not the one from Google Playstore. No idea if relevant

5

Itā€™s VERY relevant. The F-Droid version does not support push notifications, therefore you cannot get notified of message mentions (e.g. when someone writes @michaelof) or when someone calls you.

3 Likes
6

Okā€¦ So at first thank you very much for technically solving my issue! Good to know, was not aware of that.

Subsequent question: Any reason behind this restriction? Or a misunderstanding on my side?
If I can get a desired app (also) from F-Droid, Iā€™m always preferring the F-Droid version. And for many F-Droid apps Iā€™m using, e.g. K9 Mail, Nextcloud App itself, AntennaDroid, Simplemobiletools Simple Calender (calDAV synced with my Nextcloud, of course), OpenTasks, etc., Iā€™m for sure getting notifications, on top, as configured, also on the lock screen.

1 Like
7

Considering that I also wrote the push magic for Nextcloud app, I find that REALLY hard to believe.

The reason is that F-Droid cannot build apps with dependencies that are required for push.

Technically, if you have Google Play Services, but donā€™t want to install an app from Play Store, you could use an APK from Github and Push would work then.

8

Thanks for clarification. Just read into it, found my lack of knowledge about the difference between ā€œpush notificationsā€ youā€™ve mentioned and the (simple) notifications I thought about.

Thanks for the hint of installing the apk directly from GutHub, fine for me. Will loose upgrade notifications at first, but Iā€™ve already a cron script for this, as Iā€™m using Firefox Mobile with a slightly customized apk for a while now. Easy to extend to watch for new Talk versions also :slight_smile:

Last remark: Maybe worth mentioning somehow, in the relase notes or so? Only in case I havenā€™t missed anything, again, but the official F-Droid pages are explicitly referring to " * Mobile call & chat push notifications" - https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.nextcloud.talk2/

1 Like
9

Very last remark :slight_smile:

Installed from GutHub, call signaling now works like a charme. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

P.S.: Chat notifications are not signaled, but thatā€™s not that important for me/us. Will dig into this next daysā€¦

Have a nice weekend,
Michael

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10

Currently we only support chat notifications when youā€™re mentioned directly (e.g. when somebody mentions you like this ā€œ@michaelofā€). General chat notifications will come later.

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11

I will modify the description to say push works only if you install from Google Play.

2 Likes
12

These two quotes seem to conflict with each other.

13

@michaelof Iā€™m experiencing pretty much exactly the same issue as you. May I ask which version you installed? 2.1.2 or the 3.0 beta, or ā€¦?

14

This is true. F-Droid and Google Play are the ONLY official distribution channels we support.

While you can install an APK from Github (and you get the same version as if you installed from Google Play) you lose ability to upgrade automatically and such.

15

What issue EXACTLY?

16

I wasnā€™t getting any ring or notification on inbound calls. After installing the APK from the github releases page, I got ringing.

17

That APK Is absolutely the same as the version on Play Store.

19

Mario, I have problems with notifications and making calls in android nc talk app.
Today I intro to my family more about talk, so they started using it.
and problems started :smiley:
and I thinking that app has problem when there is unansvered call .
One called other and so on. (I checked their nc and canceled call notifications. Then android nc talk app sometimes worked, sometimes not - only loading spinner (make call).

Next problem is, that users do not correctly ending calls with red button. They ending with back button. So server maintain call.
maybe problem is there. (with notifications and making calls (spinner).

20

Hi jookk
Ihave now the same problem. Iwas happy for around one month until I upgraded the talk app to 3.1.2. Now there no pssibility to reach other phones to talk with them. I do not get a notification at the other phone or one to three minutes later. Before this problem it was nearly perfect for one month. My server is a snap nextcloud 15

21

Hello,

I also have issues with feedback on the caller side, as well as notifications on the device of the person being called. When a caller starts a call, there is no ringing sound on that device, indicating that the app is connecting. The device being called doesnā€™t ring either. The person being called can open the Nextcloud Talk app and manually join the conversation.

I have tested all possible audio/video call permutations with 3.1.3 using everything we have - a tablet running CM11 without GApps, a phone running LineageOS 14 without GApps and another phone with a De-Googled stock rom. I first tried with F-Droid builds, then the GitHub ones, but the behaviour is the same, i.e. no ringing on either side.

The only device that worked properly, was a phone with factory bloatware/spyware/Google stuff on it.

Curiously enough, we also have Telegram from F-Droid on all the above devices and it works just fine (I have audio feedback when starting a call, and it also rings on the other device)(how, why?).

Unless I am missing something, it seems to me that Nexcloud Talk is relying on some Google component, which would beat the purpose of running a sef-hosted solution :slight_smile:

So, currently, we use it like this: one makes a Telegram call letting the other know he/she wishes to talk, then the other person manually opens Nexcloud Talk and taps the conversation to joinā€¦

1 Like