SMS desktop app

[timconsidine]

I was about to post this in AppWishlist but realised that the underlying app is still in beta, so too early for a Cloudron instance.

However I think it can be of great interest to self-hosters.

There are many commercial services where you can send SMS out and receive responses back in for customer support or marketing enquiries. An alternative channel to email and website chat channels, or social media channels. But the commercial services are not cheap, and you are tied to their numbers (lock in).

So I was pleased to discover while doing OSINT research that there is a self-hosted system in development, to use virtual numbers from Telnyx (or Twilio).

There is also a small privacy element that you can text in/out without a phone's location being tracked, if you want it for personal not commercial use.

The self-hosting documentation is patchy, so I created my own HOW-TO : https://github.com/timconsidine/LXC-OperationPrivacy-VOIP

It has the links to the underlying repo.

Just in case it helps anyone here.

[timconsidine]

It's also particularly useful for international usage.
E.g. I am in Ukraine now, and it is exorbitant to send SMS back to the UK (inbound to me is free but replying is <ouch>, especially MMS if that is needed).
I have used a virtual number service (Hushed) but it's not cheap either, and ties you to their number and renewing it.
The Telnyx platform gives me outbound SMS for normal rates and cheap number rental. Even posisble to load up multiple numbers (one for sales, one for support, one for personal) without breaking the bank.
[OK, it's not in my phone unlimited SMS package, but still much more affordable.]

[subtlecourage]

Out of curiosity, did you get this from Michael Bazzell?

https://inteltechniques.com/voip.linphone.html
https://inteltechniques.com/sms.html

[subtlecourage]

@subtlecourage

I should click on your links first

[robi]

Cool, would be neat to hook it up to Google Voice as currently there doesn't appear to be any "pleasant" clients after they ripped Hangouts away.

[timconsidine]

@subtlecourage Yes !

[timconsidine]

@subtlecourage

[timconsidine]

@robi said in SMS desktop app:

Cool, would be neat to hook it up to Google Voice as currently there doesn't appear to be any "pleasant" clients after they ripped Hangouts away.

I guess.
Bazzell (instigator of the project) likes GoogleVoice but I am trying to de-google as much as possible.

I don't know what the developer's roadmap is.
You could ask on his github
He has this roadmap link : https://github.com/0perationPrivacy/VoIP/projects/2

[robi]

@timconsidine I saw it.. and some of the issue comments.

Since it's an API thing, it should be up to the user to choose GV or other services IMO.

[timconsidine]

@robi Yes, he may well get to it, as Michael uses GVoice and is the main driver for features at this stage.

The app also works with the chosen platform to configure it.
For Telnyx and Twilio, the app will create a messaging profile and configure the platform auto-magically to link the number.
So the app may need extending to do the same for Google Voice .... if that is possible.

Having said that, you may well be able to configure Google Voice manually with the required webhook for where the app is deployed e.g. https://sms.domain.tld/api/setting/receive-sms/telnyx

Apologies I don't know anything really about Google Voice or what it supports. I read Google is turning off forwarding of SMS to email, which a lot of people relied on previously.

[robi]

@timconsidine Thanks for that, while I don't have it installed, I can't try it and I'd like to see it at least documented somewhere, even if as a hack.

[timconsidine]

@robi understood
I got a message that they will incorporate my HOW-TO in their official docs.

There are couple screenshots on one of their pages.
I can make some others.
But maybe you need more.

It's definitely still beta, but it's working without frills like decent address book, group lists etc. But I think they are coming.

I also noticed that someone has posted a message requesting Dockerfile for Cloudron install !

[subtlecourage]

@timconsidine
Little by little!

I am so stoked!

Would you consider your version prod ready?

[timconsidine]

@subtlecourage hmmm, good question
Depends on how consider production ready.

Yes, it's working ! To send out SMS and receive inbound.

But no, because the app is still officially beta, and there are features not yet implemented (voice but I don't need that) and contacts management, export of SMS

Overall I think it's worth trying out, with the understanding that it is still evolving.

EDIT : if you follow the LXC installation route, it's easy to try it out. Just remove the container if you feel it's not ready yet. Telnyx numbers are month-by-month subscription so no long-term commitment.

[privsec]

Wow, what an awesome concept, though looks a bit complicated setup. Do you run into any errors while using?

[timconsidine]

@privsec : it's not complicated, just multiple steps

If you want to actually understand, I put the references to tutorials with explanation.
but i abstracted the steps into a 'monkey see, monkey do' process
btw, I am the monkey referred to !

sorry for one hand typing

if you follow the steps you should be ok, but ler me know if anything needs clarifying

no, i don't get any errors using it

[privsec]

@timconsidine Hahaha, you are hilarious!

For LXC, can that be ran simultaneously on a cloudron server?

[timconsidine]

@privsec

For LXC, can that be ran simultaneously on a cloudron server?

well in theory I guess it could as LXC containers are separate from what else is going on in the VPS

But I have a personal rule not to touch the Cloudron server other than through the Cloudron dashboard and the Cloudron CLI for custom apps. I don't log in to the VPS and don't do any maintenance on it. I just leave it all to Cloudron.

I use another VPS from SSDNODES for 'experiments' and 'self-self-hosted' apps.