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Twilio Adds Low-Cost, Two-Way MMS Picture Messaging to Its API Cloud

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Re: Twilio Adds Low-Cost, Two-Way MMS Picture Messaging to Its API Cloud

#11

Post by mmastrac »

zrail wrote: post #9
aroch wrote: post #3

I've played wit Twilio and have used it to extend some of the hooks I previously had in IFTTT. Additionally I've been toying with porting my number out of Google Voice for compatibility (ie. no MMS) and privacy reasons. My question is, how hard would it be to build your own personal Google Voice like service around the twilio API, or has anyone done this?

I set up a quick and dirty version of GV with one of their provided Twimlets[1]. All it does is record a message, transcribe it, then send the results to my email address. My wife and I used this, for example, when looking for a mortgage loan (they never. stop. calling.) I've thought long and hard about building something more complicated but I was always sort of stopped by the lack of MMS and my (apparently faulty)…

I did the same thing: I wanted something like Google Voice, but it was impossible to make it work here in Canada. I also have a tiny little HTML page you can use to retrieve your voicemail and transcriptions:

https://github.com/mmastrac/snippets/tree/gh-pages/voicemail

Obviously you'd want to host that yourself somewhere private and possibly hard-code the keys.

Re: Twilio Adds Low-Cost, Two-Way MMS Picture Messaging to Its API Cloud

#12

Post by holic »

aroch wrote: post #3

I've played wit Twilio and have used it to extend some of the hooks I previously had in IFTTT. Additionally I've been toying with porting my number out of Google Voice for compatibility (ie. no MMS) and privacy reasons. My question is, how hard would it be to build your own personal Google Voice like service around the twilio API, or has anyone done this?

I built a little prototype for a 24-hour Meteor Hackathon:

https://callmemaybe.meteor.com/

Unfortunately, the Connect API was a bit confusing to implement, so you actually have to paste in your API key.

My goal is to rewrite it soon with basic features like call forwarding, blocking, etc.

Re: Twilio Adds Low-Cost, Two-Way MMS Picture Messaging to Its API Cloud

#15

Post by aroch »

zrail wrote: post #9
aroch wrote: post #3

I've played wit Twilio and have used it to extend some of the hooks I previously had in IFTTT. Additionally I've been toying with porting my number out of Google Voice for compatibility (ie. no MMS) and privacy reasons. My question is, how hard would it be to build your own personal Google Voice like service around the twilio API, or has anyone done this?

I set up a quick and dirty version of GV with one of their provided Twimlets[1]. All it does is record a message, transcribe it, then send the results to my email address. My wife and I used this, for example, when looking for a mortgage loan (they never. stop. calling.) I've thought long and hard about building something more complicated but I was always sort of stopped by the lack of MMS and my (apparently faulty)…

Ha, I've setup the very same twimlet. My hangup was also the same as yours, I couldn't justify spending the time to figure out the, often confusing, API just to have no MMS still. I guess it's time to find some free time to hack one together!

Re: Twilio Adds Low-Cost, Two-Way MMS Picture Messaging to Its API Cloud

#16

Post by RobSpectre »

blocke wrote: post #13

Twilio's test MMS (or any Twilio SMS) messages have never worked for me on the AT&T and Tmobile MVNO Straight Talk which uses Tracfone's MMS servers. I'd be curious what other MVNOs lurking about in the US are not handled by this. Does Cricket work?

Would love to learn more about why these messages are failing for you. Reckon you could shoot us some of the failed SmsSids to help@twilio.com? I'd be much obliged.

Re: Twilio Adds Low-Cost, Two-Way MMS Picture Messaging to Its API Cloud

#18

Post by adamonduty »

aroch wrote: post #3

I've played wit Twilio and have used it to extend some of the hooks I previously had in IFTTT. Additionally I've been toying with porting my number out of Google Voice for compatibility (ie. no MMS) and privacy reasons. My question is, how hard would it be to build your own personal Google Voice like service around the twilio API, or has anyone done this?

I wrote an app that has some GV-like functionality built on Twilio: https://www.getphonecard.net

Re: Twilio Adds Low-Cost, Two-Way MMS Picture Messaging to Its API Cloud

#19

Post by blocke »

RobSpectre wrote: post #16
blocke wrote: post #13

Twilio's test MMS (or any Twilio SMS) messages have never worked for me on the AT&T and Tmobile MVNO Straight Talk which uses Tracfone's MMS servers. I'd be curious what other MVNOs lurking about in the US are not handled by this. Does Cricket work?

Would love to learn more about why these messages are failing for you. Reckon you could shoot us some of the failed SmsSids to help@twilio.com? I'd be much obliged.

I'm not using the API only the "see for yourself" link on the MMS page at https://www.twilio.com/mms.

Webpage says it's sent but nothing ever arrives to the phone. I'll send an email to help@twilio.com with my phone number if someone over there wants to try a few test sends for debug info.

As a side note I just tested using the SMS page and it seems to work now. When I last tried it a couple months ago when swapping SIMs and trying to test SMS it silently failed with both sets of phone numbers and SIM Cards while every other SMS source I could try worked fine. That appears to not be an issue anymore so it's just MMS.

MMS to and from the phone works fine with Verizon and AT&T cellphones so I'd imagine there is some plumbing somewhere going wrong in my case.

Thanks.

Re: Twilio Adds Low-Cost, Two-Way MMS Picture Messaging to Its API Cloud

#20

Post by RobSpectre »

blocke wrote: post #19
RobSpectre wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would love to learn more about why these messages are failing for you. Reckon you could shoot us some of the failed SmsSids to help@twilio.com? I'd be much obliged.

I'm not using the API only the "see for yourself" link on the MMS page at https://www.twilio.com/mms . Webpage says it's sent but nothing ever arrives to the phone. I'll send an email to help@twilio.com with my phone number if someone over there wants to try a few test sends for debug info. As a side note I just tested using the SMS page and it seems to work now. When I last tried it a couple months ago when swapping…

Thanks for that - will definitely check it out.
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