Common Voice Android (unofficial app)

Common Voice
#14

So it’s far from being a slow device, and has a decent screen.

“otherwise” in my testing is “I long-press on Speak”, and long is > 3 secs. Also, the icon is not “small”. How much small is it for you ?

Is there a bug file for this one ?

The team has had an iOS app because of Safari limitations in the past. It is trying to move everything to use only the web version, so I really doubt.

Your first post already shows that it is not the case, you need help for posting content, since there is no app-facing API that is being offered.

Of all the issues you mentionned, I still don’t see anything unfixable. Again, you might already have filed the issues and it went unfixed for now so it feels frustrating, because there is so much work already, and not enough people.

#15

@Sav22999 Let me say it otherwise: the project could really benefit from external contributions and there are tons of things to improve. So seeing people actually investing time is really cheering and a good thing. Seeing that this valuable time is invested in a solution that brings much more problem than it solves makes me really sad.

#16

Also, have you reproduced that on Nightly or using Chrome ? I’ve not noticed any issue on Nightly, it could also be Firefox-stable issues.

#17

I tried on Chrome and there works “Speak”, but doesn’t work “Listen” (bug above reported).

I guess we have 2 different opinion :smile: in my opinion an app, as I said, is important.
E.g. There is a mobile app of every social network, but they have also a mobile version if you go to the website … why? because an app is more efficient of a website (this is my opinion, course!)

I’m trying to do the post request of the audio, i’m testing on test web site (azillom) so the main server doesn’t have problem. I’ve just invited others to contribute :smile: because this is an open source project (on github) so everyone can contribute.

My smartphone, in fact, goes very well, but on cv website it’s not really fast (the website, not the device).

I thought this app would be a great possibility for CV, I’m so sorry you don’t think so.

#18

And by bug, you mean the behavior that on “hover” we display some informations ? I’m sorry, I still don’t understand (even re-reading your message above) why that qualifies as a bug, it does looks like intendend and sane behavior.

So far, all your arguments more points to visibility on your system, which is solved with a homescreen shortcuts, or issues that seems to not be reproductible trivially. There could be some legit cases where an app would be more justified, i.e. missing Web APIs for a feature. But that’s not the case for Common Voice.

I can find you several examples of website that are more efficients than apps.

That’s not really valid, test infra can have outages as well, It’s even more likely that it’s more often not working.

Yes, that’s what I was verifying. And this is obviously not the experience I can reproduce on other devices, including old Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.

I’m just very sad that your solution for fixing the website is to make an app: again, Common Voice team is a small one, and they already have a lot to deal with. Pushing and sharing an app, even with the best intentions, is just going to add more work for them, and risk degrading the experience overall.

Can I ask, without being judgmental, why you did not contribute by fixing the website instead ?

So far I don’t see anything really justifiying. CV could benefit, obviously, from some contributions to improve the website, and you are obviously free to pursue your own codebase.

I’d hate to see you wasting efforts and time on something that won’t really help the project and that will require extra maintenance from you.

1 Like
#19

@Sav22999 Checking on the Github repo, there are PRs including one adding a web-based Android app: https://github.com/mozilla/voice-web/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aopen+label%3A"help+wanted" wouldn’t it be a good solution, solving your need for Android-level integration, and still relying on the website to ensure benefitting the project the best way ?

(extra bonus if you implement using GeckoView :D)

1 Like
#20

:+1: i’ll see.
I can give you some examples of app that are not necessary, but they improve tje experience: Outlook, Gmail (email client), also Facebook, Twitter, ect.
Anyway, I prefer a native app, so I think an app is useful and not the useless :smile:

3 Likes
#21

Why don’t you try and help where there is help wanted labels on Github ? Someone with Android knowledge would be useful there, instead of re-inventing a rectangular wheel and asking for others to make it round ?

#22

@Sav22999 There could also be legal issues, since third-party apps does not allows us to ensure proper agreement from end-user regarding data collection, and thus it is a legal threat and would make those data not redistribuable.

#23

Hello,

Thanks @Sav22999 for opening this topic. It seems clear to me that there are a few issues with our mobile version that have lead you to create your own app to solve them.

I really appreciate your interest and effort, and since you already have listed in this topic a few of them, it would be extremely beneficial to the project if you can fill them as github issues, indicating the browser and android version you used. I suggest we continue the technical and debugging conversation in each issue for better visibility and order.

We definitely want to improve the experience on Android and in 2020 we want to do so by enabling some Progressive Web Apps (PWA) capabilities to the site and fixing any glitches on the mobile UX people with diverse devices and Android versions might find.

By improving the mobile web experience we will directly impact thousands of contributors that currently using it, and you can help us here with your feedback.

Thank you again! :smiley:

2 Likes
#24

@nukeador You’re very polite, and I understand you want to focus your forces on the website and to improve it. I’ve started to develop this app both my necessary and others also. I really like CV and so I thought to develop a free, open-source and multi-languages app for android (because for iOS already exists).
Instead of reject ideas of volunteers I think you should encourage them. United we stand, divided we fall. Of course this is my opinion.
I will report all bugs I’ll find on the website too, so you can solve them. :smiley:

In addition, just to inform you, I’ve implemented the “Accept Terms” at the start of the first-run of the app, so shouldn’t be any others legal issues, right?

#25

I don’t want to stop people from innovating and helping the project coming up with new ideas, anyone is free to do so. But I just wanted to signal the Common Voice team feeling on best use of time right now and our focus in terms of supported tools for voice contribution.

Last thing we want is contributors feeling frustrated in the future if a non-supported tool is not able to work perfectly or due dataset quality requirements in 2020 we have to change how the API operates (not saying we will, but that’s a possibility).

Thanks!

2 Likes
#26

I think from the community perspective and mobilization and considering the fact that we are now using CV in the third world countries. Personally from experience even as we run ads on media to engage people if we had a mobile app we would use less words to communicate. This is the fact.

#27

The app now exists, it’s not official. Its name is “CV Android”, it’s for Android only.

There is a discussion Common Voice Android app: legal question about the logo and the name "Common Voice"

1 Like
#28

Thanks for the hard work. Have read through all the threads and I have seen that the discussions have come a long way. I hope atleast now our voice donations go direct to the contributed dataset on CV. Unfortunately, my language (Luganda) is not yet supported in the app

#29

@jmukiibi The Luganda language will be available, in the next release, also in the app. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#30

Thanks. I have seen it. So do the contributions go to the official CV dataset for Mozilla

1 Like
#31

This Android App is amazing! I wish I knew of it sooner.

Main benefits:

  • Validation workflow is much more productive. Auto play is excellent! In the same time I can check double amount of recordings.
  • No need to wait for recordings to load. It happens in the background and I can focus on checking if they are correct
  • Recording quality seems better. Simply better and it does not crackle after some 50 recordings as it happens on the mobile version of the web
  • Recording workflow is better as to submit the recording I need to listen to my own recording.

Thanks for the good work and hope more people will try this great app!

2 Likes
#32

Thank you very much :heart_eyes::heart_eyes:

Consider to share the app with friends and on your socials to spread the project and the app :muscle:

2 Likes
#33

I was thankful to see that kind of a big turn, but in the end, I ended up disappointed because of in-app ads. Why someone who tries to help the project growth should see the distraction all the time?