Embedded Files
3/16/2019
For Samsung phones only!!!
It appears that Samsung has bundled some kind of battery monitor feature into their flavor of Android. And it is shutting down the message support app, preventing Cadpage from receiving any text alerts. If you are running Cadpage on a Samsung device, and Cadpage is not picking up all of your text dispatch alerts, try this..
Open your main android settings and select
Device Maintenance > Battery > Unmonitored apps
Then add the Cadpage and the Cadpage Message Support apps.
3/11/2019
The precipitous drop in our user count reported on 3/7/2019 turned out to be a momentary blip. Numbers jumped back into normal range the next day. As of 3/9/2019, 3709 users have successfully migrated to the new version and our total install count is up 3.
Two users are reporting sporadic problems with the new version processing text alerts. We are still working on those.
3/9/2019
Google install stats are always 2 days old. They show that at the end of 3/7/2019 263 users have successfully upgraded to the latest version and 253 users have uninstalled Cadpage. Yikes!
As of this morning, only two users reported problems with the upgrade. Both issues appear to be easily fixable.
3/7/2019
This is it!!! We are going to jump the gun and release the "Play Store Legal" version of Cadpage 2 days before the Google imposed deadline to do so. Any new versions of Cadpage installed through the Play Store will not be able to process incoming SMS or MMS messages unless you have installed the Cadpage message support app. If Cadpage believes that you need to install or upgrade this support app, it will inform you of that when you install the upgrade.
The normal, full featured, version of Cadpage is not available anywhere at this time. It can not be distributed through the Play Store, but I am looking into alternate venues that can be used to distribute it.
2/25/2019
Even though the latest beta release has been scrubbed of all reference to the forbidden "sensitive permissions" the play store console still insists it is not in compliance and will be removed on March 9. Asking Google support for help.
2/24/2019
The latest Cadpage release is a regular release. But there is also a beta release that has been restricted to allow it to continue to be distributed in the Play Store after March 9. These restrictions mean that it will not process incoming text messages unless the auxiliary support app is also installed. We have been encouraging users to install the support app since last November, so hopefully most users already have it installed. If not, Cadpage will prompt you to install the support app from our download page.
Users are encouraged to try this beta release now so we can sort out any unexpected problems before it becomes the official Cadpage release on March 9.
2/12/2019
Good news for a change...
Google support helped me get the play store distribution back on line. So the latest Cadpage release has been published through the play store and will be available as a regular update.
We still are being consistently turned down in attempts to obtain permission to continue processing text messages past the March 9 deadline. But we should be good until then.
The backup plan to have Cadpage use a non-approved support app to do the dirty work is still on track. It may even be possible to have the Cadpage app install that support app itself once it disappears from the play store. Stay tuned for further details.
2/8/2019
Still more bad news...
The app distribution process still has not been fixed. And we have been notified that our request for an exception has been denied. Worse, it will not even allow me to publish a version that does not require message processing permissions without declaring why I am using the permissions that it is no longer using.
And I ran into some really major parser problems that needed to be fixed, and lack any way to distribute them.
New versions are available in the Download Cadpage page. But nobody has yet installed them :(
1/31/2019
And the bad new is....
They screwed up the version release process with that new form. As a result, I can not publish Cadpage updates through the Play Store. This was not an intentional ban, I just tripped over some kind of bug. Google techs are supposed to be looking into the problem. But until they come up with some kind of resolution, I am going to have to find another way to distribute Cadpage updates :(
1/24/2019
There is a new permission declaration form we have to fill out to publish new versions of Cadpage. This one includes a new category for
Public Safety / Emergency Alert apps
which fits us nicely. My judgement is that this increases the chances of us getting permission to continue processing text messages from 50/50 to far more likely than not.
1/18/2019
The January 9, 2019 deadline has come and gone. And both Cadpage and the Cadpage message support app remain available in the Play Store. Nobody seems to know just what Google plans to do and when they plan to do it. But the latest version of Cadpage will once again recommend that users that use Cadpage to process SMS and MMS messages install the message support app.
1/9/2019
We received an official form letter confirming that Cadpage can continue to process text messages until March 9. And that our request to continue using message permissions beyond that was still being reviewed.
1/1/2019
I have completed work on a message restricted version of Cadpage that utilizes the message support app to get around the potential prohibition on Play Store apps accessing text messages. This is not being published yet, and if Google relents, may never be published. But we do have it ready to roll out if needed. This required some changes to the message support app, so make sure that you have the latest update before it disappears on Jan 9.
12/9/2018
As of January 9, 2019, Google plans to no longer allow apps access to incoming text messages. Apps that depend on message access as a core part of their functionality can request a waiver, but such waivers are not going to be routinely disbursed. Since most Cadpage users still rely on our ability to process text messages, I have already applied for this waiver and been turned down. I have submitted a second waiver request trying to make the case that this is a critical tool for emergency responders. But I would put the odds of this succeeding at no better than 50-50. While it is still possible that this waiver may be granted, we need to start planning on adapting to a world where Cadpage is not permitted access to incoming text messages.
The latest news is that it appears that applying for a waiver extends the compliance deadline out to March 9, even if that request is turned down. So we should have a little more time to make this transition.
If Cadpage is currently using the direct paging services (CodeMessaging, Active911, or Cadpage Paging) to deliver all of your dispatch alerts, no further action is required. Cadpage will continue to function normally.
If you are, like most users, still relying on Cadpage to process text dispatch alerts, then action will need to be taken.
If you have a paid or lifetime subscription status, you should plan on switching to using the Cadpage Paging Service instead of text message alerts as soon as possible.
Otherwise, life is going to get complicated. We have published a new Cadpage message support app that is going to take over all of the functions that Cadpage is soon going to be prohibited from performing. Everyone who plans on depending on having Cadpage trigger from text message needs to install this app ASAP. Cadpage will not actually require this support app to function until March 9. But the support app will still disappear from the Play Store on January 9. So get it while you can.
The latest version of Cadpage will prompt you to install the support app if it is going to be needed. Even though it will not actually be required until March 9.
If you have Cadpage configured to receive text alerts and direct pages, you will be prompted to either install the support app or to drop text message support. Most users with this configuration can safely drop text message support. The exception would be users who belong to two different departments, one sending direct pages and another sending text alerts. In that case you would need to install the message support app.
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