iOS produces error when trying the No Texting While Driving app

[stezelMIT]

Describe the bug

I don't have an Andorid phone to check this with but it worked when I had one in 2018. In iOS perhaps due to new privacy policies this app is not working anymore.

Affects

• Designer
• Blocks editor
• Projects Explorer
• Companion
• Compiled apps
• Buildserver
• Debugging
• Other... (please describe)

Expected behavior
NoTextingDriving.aia.zip
When someone texts you, this app should send a text back with a message you specify.

Steps to reproduce

[ewpatton]

We can implement that block. However, iOS apps are unable to read text messages or automatically send text messages without user intervention. Further, changes to Google Play policies would prevent said app from being publishable to the Play Store, and we had to remove the permissions from App Inventor for publishing as well. We should definitely add a note to the tutorial saying it will only work for the sideloaded version of App Inventor for Android or sideloaded compiled APKs.

[halatmit]

Might it be possible to do this with some kind of extension that runs on a server?

…

On Fri, Jan 10, 2025 at 2:21 PM Evan W. Patton ***@***.***> wrote: We can implement that block. However, iOS apps are unable to read text messages or automatically send text messages without user intervention. Further, changes to Google Play policies would prevent said app from being publishable to the Play Store, and we had to remove the permissions from App Inventor for publishing as well. We should definitely add a note to the tutorial saying it will only work for the sideloaded version of App Inventor for Android or sideloaded compiled APKs. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#3321 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAGAXN4XOIV6XFTQFFD5O3T2KAMRDAVCNFSM6AAAAABU66KRY6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDKOBTG4YDMMZQGQ> . You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[ewpatton]

For sending texts, yes. We could utilize Twilio or another service to automate sending texts. However, they won't appear from the sender's phone number. AFAIK, there isn't a way to ever read the texts on iOS (or Android without the READ_SMS special permission that Google doesn't allow without good reason).