Visual voicemail tab

[Dominic-t3ch]

Checklist

• I made sure that there are no existing issues - open or closed - to which I could contribute my information.
• I have read the FAQ and my problem isn't listed.
• I have taken the time to fill in all the required details. I understand that the feature request will be dismissed otherwise.
• This issue contains only one feature request.
• I have read and understood the contribution guidelines.

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Hello

The Phone app is very close to what offer the Google Phone app. But it miss one important thing for me : the visual voicemail tab to see and listen the voicemail messages. Is it possible to add this feature to the app ?

Thanks

[vertigo220]

Not sure if it needs a tab, but it could have a button to open the VVM app. Unless there's a reason to actually rebuild that functionality within the dialer app.

[Dominic-t3ch]

Not sure if it needs a tab, but it could have a button to open the VVM app.

The fact is that the VVM app is a part of the Google dialer app. So for me it's not a solution if i have to use anyway the original app.

[TinfoilSubmarine]

Some context on this issue from someone who is interested in the whole VVM situation:

Visual Voicemail is actually a standards-based feature, you can see the latest revision of the spec here. However, I haven't personally verified that everything is in that spec to actually implement VVM fully. That's where the AOSP Dialer comes in. Before Google killed it in favor of their proprietary version, they had implemented support for a lot of different carrier's varied implementations of VVM. So a good place to start would be looking at AOSP (or even better, LineageOS) if you're interested in how this could be implemented.

Bottom line is, yes we shouldn't have to install any proprietary app, whether that be Google Dialer or a carrier's proprietary VVM app, since this can and has been implemented in open-source projects already. I would advise people looking for an already-working solution to use LineageOS's Dialer or a derivative.

[vertigo220]

That's interesting. I guess I assumed it was proprietary. But if it's open, that brings up two questions: Why aren't there any 3rd-party VVM apps (at least any that are compatible with all services), and how would authentication/security work to prevent anyone from accessing anyone else's VM?

I would actually like to find an alternative to my VVM app, which is complete trash (not surprising since it's Samsung), but since it's not something I use much I've just learned to deal with it. If it's truly possible to create an open app that's compatible with most/all services, that would be a great project for someone to undertake.

[Dominic-t3ch]

Some context on this issue from someone who is interested in the whole VVM situation:

Visual Voicemail is actually a standards-based feature, you can see the latest revision of the spec here. However, I haven't personally verified that everything is in that spec to actually implement VVM fully. That's where the AOSP Dialer comes in. Before Google killed it in favor of their proprietary version, they had implemented support for a lot of different carrier's varied implementations of VVM. So a good place to start would be looking at AOSP (or even better, LineageOS) if you're interested in how this could be implemented.

Bottom line is, yes we shouldn't have to install any proprietary app, whether that be Google Dialer or a carrier's proprietary VVM app, since this can and has been implemented in open-source projects already. I would advise people looking for an already-working solution to use LineageOS's Dialer or a derivative.

I've installed the dialer of LineageOS, and it looks like the default one of Google on the Pixel 7. It have the VVM. Not an Open Source alternative, but at least not a Google app to spy me !

Very soon, I will try to install GrapheneOS. Hope that it's dialer app has VVM.

Thank you.

[pled]

I can confirm GrapheneOS dialer does have that VVM tab natively (Pixel 6a, Android 14).

That feature would be great to have in Fossify dialer.

[bereldhuin]

+1
It would be a great feature.

[bestouff]

FWIW GrapheneO's VVM tab only works for some phone operators. E.g. FreeMobile doesn't show it.

[TinfoilSubmarine]

FWIW GrapheneO's VVM tab only works for some phone operators. E.g. FreeMobile doesn't show it.

Yes, VVM is entirely carrier-dependent. If they don't support it, neither the Graphene dialer or anything implemented here would likely be able to do anything about it.

[bestouff]

It's pretty well supported by Google's dialer.

[pled]

FWIW GrapheneO's VVM tab only works for some phone operators. E.g. FreeMobile doesn't show it.

See here, it does : https://mobile.free.fr/services-mobiles

[TinfoilSubmarine]

@pled that's my point. It works with the proprietary Google dialer but not with the open-source AOSP dialer (the one used in GrapheneOS), nor with the enhanced one used in LineageOS.

Is there an open issue for this on either Graphene or LineageOS's bug trackers? I'd be happy to take a look at this and see if it can be fixed, but this probably isn't the place to discuss.