How to create a new IP telephony application on Android
Not so long ago, we released a softphone developed entirely within MTT. We want to tell about some interesting points of its creation in this material. There will not be considered the difficulties of selecting the development team, which is now difficult to find, and there will not be a deepening in the subtleties of the program code. Specialists from MTT have developed a softphone with a large number of functions, therefore we will dwell on it in more detail. So it will be possible to evaluate what work was done while developing a new version of the application.
After introducing the app, most interested users will want to try it right away. In the new version it was possible to go through a quick registration and immediately get a number. Earlier in the Android application there was neither a test call, nor registration directly from the smartphone. The introduction of these functions has significantly reduced the number of deletions after the first boot.
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To say that the application should work fine 24 hours a day is not necessary. It is important to ensure this. Codecs embedded in the application that convert an analog voice signal to a digital bitstream have a certain impact on the quality of the IP telephony service. Depending on the type of Internet connection you need to use one or another codec. Far from everyone understands codecs, so MTT has implemented an automatic codec selection function in an Android application, depending on the type and quality of the Internet connection (3G or Wi-Fi).
Applications developed on the Android OS require lengthy testing on a large number of phone models. When developing an Android application, it is important to take into account the specifics of smartphones from manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung, LG, Fly, and so on. Particular attention in the design should be given to the screen resolution of the phone and the version of the Android system. Understanding this will allow to bring the planned release date of the application to the actual release as close as possible. Nevertheless, on different smartphones, their own, new and unique errors that have to be corrected can emerge.
For all YouMagic service platforms, a single core written in C language is used. The core performs basic communication functions, manages the local database (history, messages), as well as maintains communication with the server, fulfilling requests for tariffs and balance. In addition, core C controls the work of codecs, which may not be simultaneously supported by each of the softphones. For example, the new OPUS codec is already available in a softphone on Linux, and it is expected on the Android mobile platform in early 2013.
The YouMagic interface on Android is written in Java. The design of the updated softphone deserves special attention. Compared with previous releases, the new version looks more modern. Comfortable work with a softphone is achieved through an intuitive and simple interface. The new softphone YouMagic began to support the functions "Forwarding" and "Voice Mail", the full setting of which is available directly in the application. The developed menu with payment systems makes the application completely independent of the web interface.
Initially, YouMagic could be run on a smartphone, tablet, personal computer or DECT phone. At the time of launching the service, all softphones were developed by the Canadian software company Counterpath. In the spring of 2012, MTT released its own application on Android, and in mid-November, an updated version appeared with a redesigned and improved functionality. The MTT IP telephony platform is also constantly being improved, but this is a subject for a separate article.
It is logical that the idea of any application develops from its first launch by the user. At this stage, it is necessary to eliminate misunderstanding of work with the program using an intuitive interface and direct prompts. Simple registration logic, unloaded menu and convenient settings are the main factors determining the success of the application. If they are taken into account, the user is more likely to save the application on his gadget. It's no secret that removing an application is always easier than sorting out its work. That is why the main task of designers and developers to create such a product, to understand which will be very easy. Creating a strong desire to penetrate into your service or game is much more difficult: the user always has a rich choice of alternative applications. Understanding this, it was decided to create pages in the new version of the application, reflecting its essence and attractiveness at the very first launch.
After introducing the app, most interested users will want to try it right away. In the new version it was possible to go through a quick registration and immediately get a number. Earlier in the Android application there was neither a test call, nor registration directly from the smartphone. The introduction of these functions has significantly reduced the number of deletions after the first boot.
')
To say that the application should work fine 24 hours a day is not necessary. It is important to ensure this. Codecs embedded in the application that convert an analog voice signal to a digital bitstream have a certain impact on the quality of the IP telephony service. Depending on the type of Internet connection you need to use one or another codec. Far from everyone understands codecs, so MTT has implemented an automatic codec selection function in an Android application, depending on the type and quality of the Internet connection (3G or Wi-Fi).
Applications developed on the Android OS require lengthy testing on a large number of phone models. When developing an Android application, it is important to take into account the specifics of smartphones from manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung, LG, Fly, and so on. Particular attention in the design should be given to the screen resolution of the phone and the version of the Android system. Understanding this will allow to bring the planned release date of the application to the actual release as close as possible. Nevertheless, on different smartphones, their own, new and unique errors that have to be corrected can emerge.
For all YouMagic service platforms, a single core written in C language is used. The core performs basic communication functions, manages the local database (history, messages), as well as maintains communication with the server, fulfilling requests for tariffs and balance. In addition, core C controls the work of codecs, which may not be simultaneously supported by each of the softphones. For example, the new OPUS codec is already available in a softphone on Linux, and it is expected on the Android mobile platform in early 2013.
The YouMagic interface on Android is written in Java. The design of the updated softphone deserves special attention. Compared with previous releases, the new version looks more modern. Comfortable work with a softphone is achieved through an intuitive and simple interface. The new softphone YouMagic began to support the functions "Forwarding" and "Voice Mail", the full setting of which is available directly in the application. The developed menu with payment systems makes the application completely independent of the web interface.
“The app has become much fresher and more modern. The emergence of a test call can not but rejoice, although it is clear where they got their inspiration from. The program starts and runs significantly faster, so the results of the work done are obvious ” - Sergey Demidov, the editor of the portal EnjoyIT.ru.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/164165/
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