The app that I'm developing allows the user to enter in a zip code, then the app displays my local businesses that are closest to them. So if someone entered in a New York zip code, all of my franchises located in NY would show up.
It would be ideal if I could see what zip codes are most popular with the usage of this app, and which states receive the most traffic.
Is there a way to record/analyze the entered in zip codes of my users, and have that data sent back to me? Will this become a privacy issue if I gather this data?
Thanks
EDIT
The zip code the user will enter is simply in an EditText.
What you want to do is certainly possible. Since you're posing this question at all, I'm guessing you're app has the available franchises stored locally as opposed to retrieving them from a server.
Where is the data supposed to be sent to? If you have a server, you can use an HttpsURLConnection and POST the requested zipcode to your server when the user presses calculate or however else calculation is kicked off in your app. You will need the internet permission for this to work.
As a word of caution, you should be very up front about that you're doing this to the user, and also give them an option to turn it off, or even have it turned off per default. Personally, this would be the kind of thing that would bother me a great deal if I were to use your app. (Actually, if I couldn't turn it off, I probably wouldn't use it.)
EDIT
I'm not an expert on U.S. privacy laws but I imagine you probably need a formal privacy statement, as well. You certainly do if your app is also available in the European Union (regardless of whether it's useful there or not - whether or not it's available is enough.)
Yes you can easily collect this data and return it to a server. This will require an additional permission for your application 'android.permission.INTERNET' (If not already included.)
Not a lawyer and didn't stay in a Holiday Inn... but I don't see a privacy concern if you're using anonymous data... if you're packaging up user information (Name, Phone #, etc.) and sending it back I would think you'd want to include a "privacy policy" in your app's terms of service.
Related
I have a situation where admin has defined both English and Spanish Language at the admin panel. Right now, Whatever the changes he made in admin panel, it is reflecting on the website.
My question that when we have different platforms like Android and iOS, Whatever the changes he made in the Admin panel I want it to reflect in the Android as well. As of now, I have defined both language information in Strings.xml.
I do not think calling server each time for the Labels is a good idea. If i do, it might slow down the app.
In detail, i have a validation message like "Please Enter User Name". And the admin changed the label in the back-end and made it Enter User Name. Each time calling server to get the information is bad idea. I would like to save the information or data for certain periods. say 2 hours or 24 hours.
What is the best way to achieve this?
In my opinion the best solution is to keep it in sqlite. You should check version of strings by calling your API when i.e. application is starting and then update its if necessary.
Unfortunatell queries SQLITE every time when user open new activity/fragment might also slow down your app. In my opinion you should keep your map of string in Application Class or in Object (if you use kotlin) - query your sqlite after checking version of your string or when app is starting if API is unavailable.
Introduction
I have a xy-problem
x: High level goal
I have dream: I want to store additional data to mails which are in IMAP. I the long run I want to be able to access this data via thunderbird and k9 (android app (mail use agent)).
Use cases:
I want to store a note in html format for this mail.
Upload a PDF file for this mail.
I want to store a re-submission date on the mail. Like google inbox snooze feature: Move the mail to a "do later" folder until the date is reached. (Evaluating this date and moving the mail to inbox again is not part of this question)
But I have no clue how to store additional data
y: My current thoughts about solving it
I need a way to identify a message in IMAP. I think the message id (without folder name) should work. I know that message IDs can have duplicates, but I see no other way. Please leave a comment, if you have a better idea.
Now I need a way to store this mapping somewhere:
`user#imapserver:message-id` --> `additional-data`
Question
How to store this mapping, so that thunderbird and k9 could access it?
Of course I know that thunderbird and k9 can't access this data today. How to patch them is a different question.
Background
I like free software and I like free communication. Up to now I use WhatsApp, Threema and other tools. But in the long run I want a free (like in software) solution. Email is wide spread, and I think it makes more sense to improve email than to create something new.
You could store annotations in a parallel mailbox as MIME messages using APPEND. You'd have to figure out a way to map annotations from one message to another.
So you can find the related message easily, you'll want it easy to search for. You could do something like using the message-id of the source message as the subject of the annotation message, or a transformation of the message id as the message id of the destination message.
Here are my thoughts on it... here is the current proposed and accepted standard for IMAP4 which is the current version...
https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3501
Here is a wiki link to show the previous versions and the progress that has been made over time ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Message_Access_Protocol#IMAP4
I think the question is a good one, but maybe if your idea is good enough, contact the people that are in charge of the protocol and think about ways to potentially make IMAP5 with the kinds of functionality that you want to expand it to be able to utilize...
I would say that the best way would be to try making the IMAP protocol better. Read over all of the functionality that it currently supports and make suggestions to the group in charge of it. The additions that you are wanting to add sound great, but unless I misunderstood the question, I think that protocol updates might be the cleanest approach.
Sounds cool though.
Good luck... I hope you like my thoughts.
Have you considered Mailgun? It has an extensive API ( https://documentation.mailgun.com/api_reference.html#api-reference). Incoming messages can be stored, processed by your application and then sent via email. I believe you can add your own header field information (perhaps generating something like a GUID and using it for unique message tracking). Up to 10,000 emails/month are free (one of your preferences). If your application workflow and the API align, this might help get the job done.
I have an Android application that allows users to post information to a database, via a java web server that I have code on.
Users are allowed to up/down vote said post. How do I prevent the same user from voting a plethora of times on the same post?
A few ideas I had:
Disabling locally via adding a local storage "key" for the post ID Unique Key. For instance, when the user votes up or down. It writes a key with the information of the type of vote and the Unique Identifier of the post on the user's local storage. Is this feasible with a lot of votes? Would it cause any sort of hard drive consumption/lag?
Storing a uniquely-generated key on the user's phone generated at application install. This key would be submitted to a new table in the database that associates posts with votes and the "user-key".
If you're expecting lots of information, a database is probably the way to go. Obviously this will use storage space, but not much. Writing to the db tends to be very fast in my experience.
The unique key would work fine too. That way would be more secure (depending on how you do it) since it would be harder to spoof it from the client. If you generate the key based on the user's Google account, or the device ID, you're in good shape. If you do it by some pseudorandom method then the user could still cast multiple votes by just clearing the app data and getting a new key.
If it's really important to prevent multiple votes, do it on the server. If it's not particularly important, do whichever method seems easier to you. You can also consider doing both, for the best of both worlds: immediate feedback to the user on a duplicate vote attempt (or just altering the UI to make it impossible), plus a backup validation on the server in case the user tries to get around the client check.
I develop the app which is provide some information to general user. it is not only showing info but also curating and recommending further detail info depending on users history;what the users clicked, searched and acted on the app. (like a google targeting AD).
For this, I have to accumulate user's activites on apps. (which button was clicked, when did they turn on the app and so on...)
For this, I have two ideas.
1. let the app to leave their log text file in local device then append lines in it whenever user act, and upload it when they turn off the app on server DB.[like a batch]
-OR-
2. let the app, update db everytime when user acts something on app by http-post.[like a realtime]
Which way is common tactics(or popular ways) on real field? or can you suggest another way?
thanks for reading.
I'm looking to set up a remote database for user data for an Android application I am developing, but I don't want to use a server to handle the queries. Instead, I am looking to see if there is a way to make either the database recieve or the app only send parts of a generated code for each user.
This is my thought process on how it would work:
User opens app for first time ->
app generates and stores on device specific code for user and visible to user->
example of User Code: MG0CG094CF08352FBZS3042C0890432 ->
when user inputs data on app ->
data stored on device and sent to database when connection available ->
database receives only M0045328 for user identification for data input
The idea would be registration with the database without having to handle emails, passwords, etc., just the 8 digit user identification code. The purpose of the 32 character app generated code would be for security and the user in the event they they get a new device or delete the app.
The security measure I'm thinking of instead of a server is for the database to only handle certain characters of the user code or for the app to only send certain characters.
User sees this in app: MG0CG094CF08352FBZS3042C0890432
Application only sends: Mx0xx0x4xxxxx5xxxxx3xx2xxx8xxxxx
Database reads: M0045328
Obviously I don't want it to read like that in the source, so I need some discrete way for the app to exclude characters when sending information. Problem is that I can't think of some way that it's possible to code it like that. I essentially want the app to encrypt itself and only decrypt when it's sending information. I obviously also don't want each code to decrypt the same way, so maybe the 32 character code could also include which characters to send?
Anyone have some idea about how to do this or would simply a server solution be easier? Keep in mind I would prefer for it to handle it this way more than to use a server.
For all your pseudo code, in the end you are trying to achieve a DRM structure. DRM is not feasible for devices that you have no control over. So you can only obfuscate things a bit. Trying to hide code is not likely to work; it's better to try and hide some kind of data to make that more difficult to find.