[APP][4.3+] Touchless Notifications Pro 3.0+

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vgergo

Senior Member
From the developer of S for Switch Voice:

Touchless Notifications Pro and Touchless Notifications Free in the Google Play Store

New: To become a beta tester of the Pro version please join this Google+ community: Touchless Notifications Beta testers

"Listen to your notifications while your eyes and hands are busy"

Please try the Free version to see if it works for you, before purchasing this Pro version

You might have heard about the "What's up?" feature on the Moto X. They can ask "What's up?" and Touchless Control reads them their notifications. Politely, totally hands free, without ever taking their eyes off of what they are doing.

So you like it? But you don't have a Moto X?

You can have it now on your Android phone! Touchless Notification does that and much much more.

Features:
► Reads out all active notifications, every app notification is supported
► Notifications are shown along the announcement in big clear fonts
► You can change the amount of detail from an itemised list to content of emails and text messages (for expandable notifications)
► Turns screen off, if phone is in your pocket
► Shake to mute
► Remembers what it has announced already, only updates you with what's new
► Language detection to use the correct TTS engine for non-English messages
► Choose chronology: newest to oldest or vice versa
► App exception list, to exclude apps from announcement
► Says ambient temperature on supported devices (Samsung S4, Note3, S5)
► Pauses the music for the time of the reading

Complete user guide available online: notifications.dataglobe.eu

Pro version benefits:
► You can personalize how Touchless Notifications will greet you, or turn off the greeting. The Free edition let's you change the greeting, but you will only hear it in the test announcement (in settings)
► You can hide the notification icon of the Pro version
► Touchless Notifications Free will remind you to get the pro version in the announcement
► Note: More Free features may be moved to the Pro version in the future

You can have the reading start without touching your phone. Here are the options: (see video!)
► Issuing the voice command "open notifications" in Google Voice Search (more variations of the command are coming soon)
► Issuing the voice wake-up command "Hi Galaxy" on selected devices (using S for Switch Voice Pro)
► Connect the wired or Bluetooth headset. You can configure the time delay before the start of the announcement. Also works with car hands free systems.
► Attach or detach the charging cable. You don't have to look at your phone to hear about incoming notifications when you go to bed or pick up your phone after charging.
► Many other ways by simply launching the app from Tasker, Locale, NFC Retag etc.

How does it work? The app is special, because it installs two icons on your phone:
► Touchless Notifications Pro: launch this for the initial setup and to change settings
► Notifications: launch this for the actual announcements

Touchless Notifications places a permanent notification in the shade if you select any of the headset/power monitoring features. Remove the notification by disabling all connection triggers in the settings.

Preparations:
1► Launch "Touchless Notifications Pro" (the 2nd icon, NOT the "Notifications" icon!)
2► Read the two popup windows and enable both settings:
- Notification Access (on some devices the link might no take you all the way into the necessary Settings menu)
- Device Administrator (this is needed to turn the screen off in pockets)
3► Select the amount of detail in the "What to say" section, with special attention to "App exception list". You will need to come back to settings in the beginning to mark unwanted apps from the announcements
4► Press speaker icon on top to test

Q&A:

Q I cannot uninstall?!
A Go to Settings / Security / Device Administrators and uncheck

Permissions:
READ_PHONE_STATUS=mute announcement when a call comes in
BLUETOOTH=detect when Bluetooth headset is connected to trigger reading
BOOT_COMPLETED=restart the headset/power monitoring after restart

Touchless Notifications Pro and Touchless Notifications Free in the Google Play Store
 
Last edited:

vgergo

Senior Member
Version history

Beta channel: To become a beta tester of the Pro version please join this Google+ community: Touchless Notifications Beta testers

Symbols:
* fix
+ new feature
- feature removed
~ modification

4.00 (beta: free, pro)
* no more "empty" notifications announced (Oreo+ GROUP_SUMMARY filtered out)
* will not announce "Google" when the Google Assistant is opened
* "dot" is not pronounced (prononciation correction by default)
+ new option "Stop readout when call comes in" (neccessary to request PHONE_STATUS permission)
+ notification channels for Android Oreo
~sleep when done (show "Enable screen off / lock" when its grayed)
~change "Screen off + lock" menu item to show 3 options: "disabled" / "device admin lock" / "screen off via short timeout"
+request permission to adjust screen timeout
1:
+added replace default to eliminate "dot" or "questionmark dot" from readouts
*fixed: was no expanded text after v4.00

3.41
* whatsapp notifications are not read out if they come within 3 seconds of the previous (WhatsApp is notorious for updating its notification causing double readouts)
* button to clear unused apps from blacklist/messging apps

3.40
*show quick-command icons in expanded notification

3.39
*keep non-adaptive icon in intro screens (increased resolution)
+new option to black list phrases from only a specific app

3.38
*fixed crash when selecting English as a 2nd language (dialect)
+new adaptive icons (Oreo and later)

3.35
*fixed a crash in World List Preference (settext/→)

3.34
+new option: "Always use 2nd language" → disables "Speak in full sentences" [tip: +Sven Hofians]
*corrected spellign "alternate" to "alternative"
+added sale announcement in Free version

3.33
+Added proper Slack support [thank you +Matt Arnett]
*Fixed Hangouts notification (messages were read twice)
*Fixed issue reading "dot" at the end of announcements

3.30
*Device Administrator description added (Play Store requirement)

3.29
*rare crash fixes

3.28beta
*out of memory crash causing notification listener to disconnect

3.27
*Various crash fixes (previously unreported)
+App will now auto-activate itself after Play Store updates

3.26beta
+Attempted to stop duplicate readout of notifications of some apps on Android 6-7.
~Corrected the readout of Gmail messages on Android Nougat

3.25
*gmail messages are only read once

3.24
*crash fix: helpview==null setText
+privacy policy

3.23
*Improved stability: Hopefully no more crashes caused by triggers (never close database)
*Go to Notification Access by toggling the "Central switch"
*Screen off (via short timeout) is more stable

3.21
*works with always on display
*improved alternate screen-off method
*workaround for Marshmallow screen lock issues

3.20
*improved stability: handles large number of active notifications better

3.18
*second language words in upper case were not handled correctly

3.17
*gray word lists if "second launguage" option is turned off

3.16
*improved upgrade procedure from Free to Pro (will only prompt to release Device Admin if it was enabled in Free)

3.15 beta
*if you enabled "wave to mute" and put the phone on charger: it did not announce notifications → fixed
+option: "Screen off + lock" to select between screen off methods (device manager vs screen timeout hack)
*screen-timeout screen off method will not mess up if BACK or HOME is pressed during screen fade
+new setting: "Second language words" = Always use second language if text contains any of these words
+new setting: "English words" = Always use English voice if text contains any of these words
(if word match found neither 2nd language words nor identifier characters are checked)
*no toast is show at device boot
*intro slideshow buttons should now be correctly announced by talkback

3.13 beta
+Delay after each read-out: Time to wait after notifications are shown and announced (chance to dismiss)
+Amount of detail announced: Expanded content / Shorten expanded content / All expanded
*Tweaked the new screen off workaround to not leave a 0sec screen timeout accidentally.

3.12 beta
~Turns off screen without locking the device after readout
+Improved compatibility with Lollipop SmartLock
+New permission: WRITE_SETTINGS is necessary to apply the screen-timeout workaround

3.11
*fixed blank Google Now notifications!

3.09
*crash fixes
3.08beta
*multiple reported crashes fixed

3.07
+improved crash reports - please send them
*reported crashes fixed

3.06
*bugfix: caused by the previous update
*more reported crashes avoided

3.05
~now you can set non-US English as 2nd language for other dialects
*various crashes fixed (thank you to all who sent crash reports)

3.04
*Second attempt at removing the unwanted toast ;)

3.03 emergency fixes
*Removed the repeating toast at boot
*Improved skip blanks option to work in more cases
*Various other smaller fixes which I did in the previous weeks but neither were big enough for a new release

3.02 more fixes and improvements
*Intro slider graphics optimized (caused out of memory errors)
*Built in help can be accessed from the intro slider (Question mark in the upper right corner blinks to draw attention to this)
*Bluetooth triggers related crashes fixed
*Fixed other random crashes

3.01 emergency bug-fix
*Crashed if Wifi SSID, Bluetooth device or Notification had apostrophe in their names

3.00 public release
~intro slider and built in help updated

3.0beta2
*Fixed: triggers were not started correctly after boot
+Debug modes = disable tasker plugin + disable all triggers (press MENU on Touchless Triggers screen)

3.0beta1
+"Touchless trigger system"!!! → change app settings based on time/bluetooth/wifi/power/hardware connections
-Removed: "Start summary when connected to..." menu item from Advanced mode (replaced by Smart triggers, still available in "Quick settings mode")
+Simple 2x2 widget: resize to only show/hide full screen control (1x1 and 1x2) / current settings (2x1 vs 2x2)
+Widget background transparency setting (under Voice I/O?)
+Notification actions → pop-ups allow you to select modes instead of dual-state toggles
~Tasker plugin interface [x] (+) Floating add button instead of checkboxes
+New audio stream option added: "None (silent / show only)"
~Monitor always on, unless "Central switch" is OFF
+skip blanks option (when only app name is known, everything else blank)
+new "Immediate readout" option: "Only if screen off"
~"Immediate readout" option "Always + show if headset or screen off" changed to "Always + show if screen off"
(Full screen notification is not shown unless screen is off or "Always + Always show" is selected for "Immediate readout")
+Audio stream selection made available from Tasker plugin (and the touchless trigger system) → set it to "None" to silence
+Audio interruption setting made available from Tasker plugin (and the touchless trigger system) → set it to "Keep" when silenced
+Full immersion display option
+export/import triggers
+log trigger activity
-Removed the voice control alternatives, as Google Now stopped being able to reliably launch applications by voice command
(an experimental, free stand-alone app can be installed from the Play Store)

2.08
+automatic cloud backup / restore settings (when installed on a new device) PRO
~Make "amount of detail" a multiple choice list where you can toggle individual components independently

2.07beta
*Attempt to fix Tasker plugin on Android v5.0.2

2.06
+Google inbox support
+Central off switch

2.05beta
*Audio over "BT mono" fix attempt for kitkat → please check to see if it now/still works this way with your device
~Extended the log (to start logging double press "email dev" item in the feedback section, click "email dev" to send the log)

2.04
+notification logging
~battery use reduced (NL service optimized)
*WhatsApp announcement problems sorted out

2.03
+user guide updated with Tasker plugin information
~messaging notifications: prevent repeated announcement of accumulated text in immediate readouts (Hangouts, WhatsApp)
*secondary language selection was not possible unless you selected voice engine immediately before it
~more of a text message is displayed
+Pre-announcement delay new option: Double delay (3→6 sec)
*back key behaviour in the built in user guide: click to go back in history, double click to exit
*inhibited full-screen flash-ins for notifications which disappear by the time they would get to be read
+some default black list items, notably "incoming call" and "ongoing phone call" for new Google Voice integrated Hangouts
+no notification readout during Hangouts calls (video or google voice)
*updated the app to work with the new version of Google Voice Search, which would start the Settings instead of the readout

Click for older history

2.02
+blacklist notification by search phrases
+pronunciation correction dictionary
*sometimes the phone could not go back to sleep after it woke to announce a notification
+proper Tasker plugin (add action / Plugin / Touchless Notifications) - only works in Pro version → see tutorial: http://youtu.be/mC9HmpxZR_w
+tasker/intent: quiet=no toast or notification ticker text displayed

2.01
+if full screen display and shake to mute were both turned off, there was no way to cancel a readout.
→ Now you can, by starting the summary again (by using launcher icon or notification quick action)
→ also the "Test Now" button restarts it with full-screen display, then you can use the back key to cancel
+broadcast intent is sent when woken from sleep (receive with Tasker IntentReceive event (action="hu.viczian.notifications.woke") details below
*"the"→"to" (on slide 7 of tour wizard)
~changed the wording on the "Notification Access stopped responding" → reboot if toggle doesn't help
*voice reply should not start when user returns from launched app - fixed
+(special feature if 2nd language = hungarian) text messages are always shown full screen even with screen on
+added "Your device" to blacklist by default (thanks David Samual)
*no summary on charger connection if external audio is connected
*no proximity screen off when on power / speak only
~wave to mute when on charger
*detect bluetooth headset and power connection on initial app run (or after reboot) → will even start summary

2.00 MAJOR UPDATE
+full screen gesture: down swipe = pause + option buttons (mutes voice when buttons already shown)
+full screen gesture: up swipe = dismisses notification (clears it from the notification bar)
+button on full screen: reply = voice input answer (for messaging notifications)
+menu item: "Select messaging apps" = mark apps with reply capability
+menu item: "Auto show reply button" = automatically show buttons for messaging notifications
+menu item: "Voice prompt after messages" = voice prompt to reply for messaging notifications
+menu item: "Messaging apps use 2nd language" = inhibit identifier based language check for messaging notifications (for languages with English characters)
+menu item: "Prompt to unmute" = show unmute button on full screen if volume muted
+intent command button:0/i/s/2 = auto show buttons for messaging notifications
+intent command prompt:0/i/s/2 = voice prompt to reply for messaging notifications
+intent command show:0/i/s/2/w (to control fullscreen notifications)
+colorful tour wizard for first time users
+notification listener crash recovery (after Play Store update and otherwise if something goes wrong, no need to reboot to get it back)
+0-20sec delay for app notification sounds before single announcements (it will now mute the music only before it starts to talk - only when displaying the full screen notification.)
+"hot" messaging app status: 5min special treatment for app which you replied to
+foldable menu groups (with preview icons!) in advanced view => hopefully easier to navigate
+new quick action toggle in the persistent notification of the app (we used to have a "Settings" button in the center position, but it just had the same effect as tapping the notification itself) More info on this at http://notifications.dataglobe.eu/index.html#notification
~look of settings menu: sections headings are more emphasized, margins reduced to show more
~menu item: "Select secondary language" (choose locale from list of available locales instead of typing their codes)
~menu icons: Active voice commmands, Black list, Say each once, Identifier characters, Email dev
~menu text: Device andministrator, Secondary langauge, Enable swipe gestures
~full screen help drawing: to include new gestures
~default setting: Full screen notifications = "Always display + wake phone"
~default setting: Automatic summary = (wired + bluetooth) + car dock + desk dock
~default setting: Amount of detail shown = Expanded content shortened
~default setting: Pre-announcement delay = Wake to show notification
~menu category headings slightly changed wording: "WHEN to start the read-out", "WHAT to include in the read-out", "HOW to read them out", "VOICE I/O (Messaging & Language)"
~TTS engine and speech rate moved from "HOW" to "VOICE I/O"
~Device administrator setting moved from top of the advanced menu to the very bottom in the "FEEDBACK" section
(logic: most of my feedback is from infuriated people who can't uninstall the app, maybe here they will notice the reminder)
~Some menu items changed wording: "Start summary when connected to"
~New option under "Immediate read-out": "Always + show always"
~Notifications will wake the device if either the pre-announcement delay is set to "wake" OR the full-screen notifications are set to wake device (it used to be AND condition)
~the "car" intent (tasker) command now handles all 4 options: n/h/a/f
*handle exception for non-bitmapDrawable icons
*strange "Page Buddy" notification fixed (and similar others)
*summary sort order didn't work, nobody noticed
*proximity sensor turned off on user interaction
*queued single announcements when they wake up the screen
*if auto voice prompt was enabled (pulling down and) pressing the mic button prompted to send empty message
*notification listener watchdog improved
*switching between basic/advanced mode used to start a new instance of application, fixed (and this lead to...)
- notification listener menu item removed (the app automatically prompts you to access it) This was the first removal in the life of the app ;)

1.51
+clarifications
*improvements, fixes

1.50
+new trigger: car/desk docking
*fixes

1.49
*no interruption in music if "keep playing" is selected
+skip notification, if it is exactly the same as last

1.48
+new intent commands: shake, wave. Both can be y/n. Multiple commands in one intent: comma separated car:h,shake:n,wave:y
~kitkat style settings icon (gear as in app icon!)
~fade in at wake / fade out at sleep
+dual Bluetooth + media/notifications stream 4.4 workaround
*boot crash fixed when no connection triggers were selected
+in app bug report now can include all your app settings in the email → app support made much easier
*better in-call detection to abort any announcements
~more informative in-app instructions
+new icons
*various other fixes and improvements

1.47
+full screen notifications are shown in front of the lock screen (security or keyguard)
~if the default "Media" stream is selected, the speech functions from version 1.45 are used. This is an attempt to solve a TTS compatibility issue.
~message splitting is only used when a second language is enabled
*removed [] and | characters from spoken text (it's annoying how SVOX would read them out)
*excluded apps are propagated to immediate readout service right away (settings + 2 fingers)
*text message read-out improved
*business calendar tells you in how many minutes the announced event is going to be (more apps will follow)
*missed call announcement fix (truncated names)

1.46
*More intelligent notification fetching
*Much improved Gmail notifications
+Audio stream selection (advanced settings / "how to read" section) → BT mono included as experimental feature = tested to work on Android 4.3, not reliable on 4.4 yet

1.45
*Improved compatibility with 4.4 notifications

1.44
+New: various hints&tips are displayed at the end of each Test summary (only when started from the settings using the Test button)
*If you never switched to advanced mode the default "Notification" icon disappeared from the launcher, making it impossible to start the summary by saying "Open notifications"

1.43 (Pentecost sale)
+Quick settings screen with only the most essential options (on phones. Tablets have a hierarchical settings screen)
+Test and language icons updated
+Built in help updated

1.42
+incoming calls will abort non-displayed immediate announcements too
*install-location: internal only (does it install on HTCOne now?)
*fixed 2 kinds of force closes at incoming calls (sorry about them)
*improved reading out expanded notification text (gmail, hangouts etc)

1.41
*Google+ comments notification
+Notification bar actions: toggle car mode, settings, start summary (expand notification using two fingers) - added on user's request

1.40 (5/28)
+pre-announcement options added
+wake phone to show notifications when not in pocket (in mode "car:always")
~Built in help extended with new features http://notifications.dataglobe.eu
~small aesthetic + spelling fixes in app
~proximity sensor turns screen off quicker (in pocket)
~new/revised icons (notification bar follows Android guidelines)
~slightly smoother screen on / off (I wish it was even smoother)

1.39 (5/22)
+ NEW PERMISSION: WAKE LOCK (to wake phone, optional)
+ pre-announcement warning: yellow LED light + click sound + 3 sec delay
~ two finger swipe pauses read-out until choice is made
+ wake phone to display notifications (new option in setting: Full screen notifications)
+ feedback section in settings (bug report, app rating, google plus community)
~ only audio bt devices will trigger bt headset
* improved notifications (removed some text duplication)

1.38 (5/18)
b1* better notifications for S Planner and Business Calendar (Pro)
b2* better text message notifications
b2* smarter color matching
b3* headset state got forgotten: had to replug. Status storage moved to HeadsetMonitoringService
b4+ immediate notification delay and intro sound (there's a click and 3 seconds of delay before announcement if wave to mute or shake to mute is enabled)
b4+ control "immediate mode" using intents (tasker or other apps - for details see built in help or here)

1.37 (5/15)
* urgent fix: would speak during calls if "keep music playing" was selected for "Music interrupt". TN will never speak during call, under any circumstances. - fixed on user's request
+ New voice command option: "(Show) what I missed"
~ Free version will remind less frequently
* Expanded notifications were trimmed but the new version will also trim the collapsed notification's second lines if too long (e.g. IMDB notifications)
~ most on/off sliders were replaced with less space consuming check boxes in settings
+ new icons for these options (now they fit)
(this update will quickly be moved to production if no side effects are reported)
Join the Touchless Notifications Google Community to become a tester.

1.36 (5/10)
* fixed incompatibility with Google Voice Search 3.4 in car mode
+ Wave to mute: wave at the phone to mute immediate announcements when the phone lays flat on its back (great for "always" car mode - with no display - and phone flat on desk)
~ rewired: display-less announcements now use service, not activity => incoming notifications will not switch away from certain apps
* says "a number starting..." in sms text for numbers not in your contacts (doesn't blabber all 10 digits only the first few)
* more ways to say "updated its notification"
* colors, circles

1.32 (5/3)
~ incoming notifications are queued if they come in while another one is being announced
* headset/power connection disregarded if announcement is already in progress

1.31/beta
* hardware keys didn't work during display-less announcements
* proximity sensor detection fixed
~ proximity sensor behaviour updated: screen now turns off as soon as something is detected near the sensor (in summary mode only)
* temperature reading inconsistencies fixed: it can now tell you the temperature even with screen off, or display-less read outs

1.30 (4/30)
+ car mode = announce new notifications as soon as they appear (repeating notifications and notifications without content are suppressed) - added on user's request
+ music interruption control = keep playing / pause / lower volume (podcast players may choose to pause on requests to duck)
+ display control = show notifications or not during read out (notifications are never shown when car mode is set to "always" and no headphone/bluetooth is connected)
~ variations on "about"
~ test button in settings will replay last summary
* summary after single announcements
* "the last one was sent to you" is not said in car/headset mode
~ shake detection mutes quicker
~ new, higher resolution app icons

1.22 (4/22)
+ extensive online help

1.21 (4/20)
~ greeting hint in settings "e.g. 'Hello'"
+ add "days ago" for notifications older > 48hrs
+ player checks for notification access and goes to settings if necessary

1.20 (4/17)
+ swipe left (down in landscape) to skip ahead
+ two finger swipe to put app on exclusion list
~ illustrations in settings

1.16 (4/16)
~ custom greeting: disable greeting, include custom greeting in name
+ new option: animated slide transitions

1.14 (4/15)
+ pro imports settings from free before uninstalling
+ free switches to pro if both are installed
+ alternate voice command options (launcher icons) See details here.
* overflow text is trimmed in itemised reading

1.12 (4/13)
+ new different icon for settings app
+ mute / switch away instructions toast
~ text sizes unified across different screen sizes
* some repeated text eliminated in notifications

1.11 (4/12)
~ uninstall directly without going into Play Store
* 4.4 crashes: isValidFragment

1.1 (4/12)
* Spelling mistake "turn off"
~ Greeting: good evening (0:00-2:59)
~ Shortened the maximum headset delay from 5 min to 90 seconds
* Settings screen didn't appear during headset delay
+ Announcement cancelled if headset is disconnected during delay
+ Prompt to uninstall the free version when pro is installed

1.0 Initial version (4/11)
 
Last edited:

vgergo

Senior Member
Future Features

Items on this list are implemented as the userbase grows. The numbers represent a tentative priority based on difficulty, importance and number of user requests. I may implement an idea from lower in the list, or postpone another infinitely.

You can motivate me with good Play Store ratings and upgrades to Pro ;) Please recommend the app.

  1. Wildcards in the pronunciation / blacklist by phrase
  2. option to filter out/shorten phone numbers (Number starting XY...) and URLs (xy.com "url")
  3. 100% handsfree for regular text (SMS) and email (gmail). These are the only two services left which are not locked down :(
  4. Dial option for numbers in SMS and missed calls?
  5. Announce notification changes (music apps - new song e.g. Spotify) They work on Lollipop devices, if not, it's not possible :(
  6. Special treatment for time/phone numbers in notifications (time: say how much time to or since, phone: only say the first few digits) ~ already doing in some cases
  7. Language detection based on unread part of the expanded text too
  8. Localization (Hungarian, Polish, etc)
  9. Show contact icons (notification icon) instead of app icon
  10. Deeper integration with certain apps (Gmail, Messages: read all texts from the past hour, or all unread texts, or new texts from one person), reply by voice without paste etc.
  11. Pause, rewind summary readout + Repeat!
  12. Contextual messages: amount of time since last summary, temperature change since last readout, voice command dependent greeting
  13. Message queuing with voice-only notifications too
  14. Announce caller's name over bluetooth Might not ever be possible in new Android versions

Completed:
  1. Smarter language identification (letter combinations / stop words / statistical method?) Dutch, German, French, Spanish → 3.15beta
  2. Command to have the entire expanded notification be read by https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hyperionics.avar → 3.13beta
  3. Option to skip blank notifications (when only the app name is known) → 3.0beta1
  4. Optional full immersive mode (On 4.4+) → 3.0beta1
  5. Display only mode (no talk) → 3.0beta1
  6. Option for no readout when screen on (similar to no full-screen notification currently with screen on unless headset is connected) → 3.0beta1
  7. Revised trigger system: time, wifi, docking, charger, bluetooth, headset, volume-level → more flexible control of what should happen → 3.0beta1
  8. Cancel summary read-out when triggering connection is disconnected → 3.0beta1
  9. Widgets to control some settings (mostly those which are available from the Tasker plugin) → 3.0beta1
  10. Mute immediate notifications for a time period → 3.0beta1
  11. Backup / restore / reset settings → 2.08beta
  12. Make "amount of detail" a multiple choice list where you can toggle individual components independently → 2.08beta
  13. Option to permanently opt out of Device Admin (no more bugging) → 2.06beta
  14. Master switch to turn off and unload TN from memory → 2.06beta
  15. Black list new apps by default → 2.05
  16. Keep track of message body in WhatsUp and Hangouts and don't announce accumulated text in immediate readouts →2.03
  17. Free-text black list to exclude only certain notifications from the read-out →2.02
  18. Native Tasker plugin, export more options →2.02
  19. New immediate readout trigger: wifi network connected Use Tasker to achieve this →2.02
  20. Dashboard control (icons only: toggles) →2.00
  21. Delay immediate notification read-out by a configurable length of time (more universal than the 3sec pre-warning) →2.00
  22. Setup / introductory wizard →2.00
  23. Ability to change the default language from English (~ forced secondary language option / per app) →2.00
  24. Voice response to messages (start voice search after message) →2.00
  25. Silent / Vibrate warning / prompt at the start of the summary read-out →2.00
  26. Make Notification actions available on the full screen notification →2.00
  27. Notification dismissal →2.00
  28. Secondary language / region selected from menu →2.00
  29. Pause summary readout →2.00
  30. Store notification text, do not announce it more than once if it doesn't change (a cure for Goolge Now frequent weather updates) →1.49
  31. Update settings icons to kitkat style →1.48
  32. TTS on dual streams voice + media [4.4 BT mono compatibility] →1.48
  33. Smoother fade-in, fade-out when phone woken up for immediate read-out →1.48
 
Last edited:

vgergo

Senior Member
Voice command alternatives

From version 1.14 you are not limited to the voice command "Open notifications".

Under "When to say" in Settings you can currently select from 3 alternatives, and more may come in the future:
►(Open) notifications
►(Fire up) my notifications
►(See) what's up
►(Show me) what's up
►(Start) summary (NEW)
►(Play) what I missed (SOON)
►(Play me) what I missed (SOON)

The command in brackets can be any of the action words Google Voice Search recognizes for launching apps. Here is the list I found to work in the current version on Google Now:
►Open... ►Start... ►Show... ►Play... ►Run... ►Execute... ►Launch... ►Fire up... ►Load... (There might be many more ;)

These only work with some of the commands (what's up, what I missed...):
►Show me... ►See... ►Play me...

So currently, if you configure Touchless Notifications to have the "My Notifications" launcher icon, you will be able to say:
►Start my notifications
►Play my notifications
►Open my notifications
etc.

One app, several icons

You can mark any or all of the voice commands in the Settings. The app will enable a launcher icon for each (that's necessary for Google Voice Search to recognize them as apps, which it can open). So if you enable all of them, you will end up with these four icons:
attachment.php

The last one with the Gear of course is the settings. To reduce clutter in your app tray, you might want to gather them into a folder of their own.

Alternatively you can disable all action icons, then you won't be able to start the announcement neither using Voice Command nor by clicking on an icon, but if headset or power connection monitoring is enabled, the app will activate itself.

S for Switch Voice Pro users don't need any action icons either for the Offline mode activation.

Your input is welcome

Finally, I would like to invite you to come up with launch phrases which might feel more natural to you. These need to be "wired" into the app, so there will be a limit on the selectable alternatives, but we can add a few more. Let me know what voice command would you like to use:
►"(Start) briefing me"?
►"(Run) summary"?
►"(Launch) notification reader"???
I'm open to your suggestions regarding these and any other function of Touchless Notifications.

"Greeting text" dependencies
View attachment 2692015
 
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gnice18

Senior Member
Great App!!! I am using it in a car setup, I want it to automatically read the text as it comes in, instead of having to launch every time. Anyway I can force it to start whenever a new notification occurs? Tasker set up perhaps? If so I will be buying the pro version.
 
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vgergo

Senior Member
Notification announcements as they come in

Great App!!! I am using it in a car setup, I want it to automatically read the text as it comes in, instead of having to launch every time. Anyway I can force it to start whenever a new notification occurs? Tasker set up perhaps? If so I will be buying the pro version.
Great idea, announce notifications as they come in. There are other apps which offer this, for example Enhanced SMS and Caller ID. But AFAIK it cannot announce all notifications and doesn't show them as my app does.

I will look into how I could incorporate this into Touchless Notifications. Maybe there could just be one new toggle, to announce incoming notifications while the headset/bluetooth connection is active (i.e. you are connected to the car hands free).

Until I get to implement this, you can use this simple Tasker profile to launch Touchless Notifications when a new notification appears:

Profile:
Notification *,*

Task:
Launch App "Touchless Notifications"

(to be able to catch all notifications you will have to enable the Accessibility functions of Tasker). Good luck, and I will keep you updated
 

vgergo

Senior Member
Touchless Notifications 1.30beta (NEW: with car mode)

Screenshot_NormarAppImage.png

Here is a preliminary release of the new version with car mode:

1. You can choose to have notifications read out as soon as they appear: ideal for car use. Choose if you would like the notifications always, or only when bluetooth or wired audio is connected.

New terminology:
single announcements = notifications as they come in
summary announcement = the original "what's up" style briefing which lists everything active.

2. Starting with this version you can choose only to hear and not to display the notifications. You can control this separately for singe and summary type of read outs:
  • Never
  • During summary read out
  • During immediate read out (this is an unlikely choice, it might disappear in the final version)
  • Always (in both cases)

3. Starting with this version you can also control how other audio is handled when Touchless Notifications starts to talk:
- keep the music (or podcast) play in the background
- lower the volume of the music in the background
- completely pause the music for the time of the announcement

You can again set these separately for single and summary type of announcements:
  • Always keep playing
  • Lower its volume for summary (keep playing for single)
  • Always lower its volume
  • Pause it for summary (lower volume for single)
  • Always pause it

All the changes:
+ car mode = announce new notifications as soon as they appear
+ music interruption control = keep playing / pause / lower volume
+ display control = show notifications or not during read out
(notifications are never shown when car mode is set to "always"
and no headphone/bluetooth is connected)
~ variations on "about"

I am grateful if you can give this a whirl, and if you can let me know how it works for you!
4/27 UPDATE: see newer beta 2 posts below
 
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windieboss

Member
Apr 6, 2014
18
3
Stumbled across this app today itself and must say superb! Been wanting something like while driving.

Will be testing this beta out in detail, particularly with tasker integration with my car profile. Will update soon.
 

vgergo

Senior Member
1.30beta2

Stumbled across this app today itself and must say superb! Been wanting something like while driving.

Will be testing this beta out in detail, particularly with tasker integration with my car profile. Will update soon.

I've been testing this version over the weekend and here are a few fixes:
* some notifications were not read in "single"/"immediate" mode
* some were read several times
~ other minor fixes

To become a beta tester of the Pro version please join this Google+ community: Touchless Notifications Beta testers
 
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vgergo

Senior Member
How to start Touchless Notifications with the "What's up" command

I posted this as a youtube comment, but include it here too: You will see that I can simply say "What's up" on my phone to start Touchless notifications (http://youtu.be/7dTw--5bg6Y?t=1m33s)

As I list it in the video, quite a lot is involved. Here is a list of apps you will need as a starter:

and of course:

Touchless Notifications

Install all of the above

Here is a most simple tasker profile / task:

Code:
Profile: whatsup
Autovoice Recognized Event Behaviour: true Command "what's up"
Task: whatsup
Launch App "Notifications"


But of course you don't need any of these (except for Touchless Notifications) if the command "Open my notifications" does it for you instead of "What's up".

You can also say any of these:

"Open notifications"
"Play what's up"
"Show what's up"
"Launch my notifications"
"Open what's up"
etc
etc

commands.png

More on this here: http://goo.gl/03tZLl
 
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vgergo

Senior Member
New beta is out (1.30beta3)

This is probably the last before release. Fixes: Notification read out and repetitions are all cleaned up

► when you only listen to summaries, Touchless Notifications keeps track of which have been read already and doesn't repeat them (unless you turn the option off)

► if you cancel a read-out by shaking the phone or by pressing the back key, those will be re-announced in the next summary

► if you enable single (immediate car/headset mode) read-outs, they are not going to be included in the next summary

► exceptions to this are the notifications which were read out while you didn't have the headset / bluetooth audio connected. These are included in the next summary

► The operation of the test button in Settings has been changed: it will replay all the notifications as if the previous summary hadn't happened (kind of like a re-read function, but it might include new notifications which came in since the last summary)

►repetitious notifications and very short notifications (just telling you one app appeared in the notification bar) are not announced in car/headset mode

Available on the beta channel: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100847829964200965231

See how it works for you
 
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vgergo

Senior Member
New 1.31beta1

Changes:

* hardware keys didn't work during display-less announcements
* proximity sensor detection fixed
~ proximity sensor behaviour updated: screen now turns off as soon as something is detected near the sensor (in summary mode only)
* temperature reading inconsistencies fixed: it can now tell you the temperature even with screen off, or display-less read outs

Join the Touchless Notifications Google Community to become a tester.
 
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vgergo

Senior Member
500+/100+ Free/Pro versions

Because the display-less notification read-out was added to the application as an afterthought, currently the readout is implemented using a "@android:style/Theme.NoDisplay" activity. This is an okay, but far from optimal solution though. This way I have started to work on transforming the backbone of the app into a service instead, which needs to interact with the display activity when requested.

This conversion is expected to take a longer span of time. Alpha and beta versions will appear for those who signed up to receive early releases.

I keep you posted on the progress.
 
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vgergo

Senior Member
New 1.33beta

Screenshot_NormarAppImage.png
* fixed incompatibility with Google Voice Search 3.4 in car mode
+ Wave to mute: wave at the phone to mute immediate announcements when the phone lays flat on its back (great for "always" car mode and phone flat on desk)
~ rewired: display-less announcements now use service, not activity => incoming notifications will not switch away from certain apps
* says "a number starting..." in sms text for numbers not in your contacts (doesn't blabber all 10 digits only the first few)
* more ways to say "updated its notification"

Available on the beta channel. To become a beta tester join: Touchless Notifications Google+ Community
 
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vgergo

Senior Member
New 1.36beta

+ Colors
+ Circles
(both based on application icon colors)
 

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vgergo

Senior Member
Calendar Notifications

I started to work on proper calendar notifications.

Currently it would say things like

"Business Calendar Pro notification: Meeting with Andy Webber - College Hall 6:00, College Hall (Zoom to expand)"

which is not the most friendly. What makes this task complex is the fact that there are so many different calendar apps and they can have so many different notifications.

I can make it work with the stock android calendar, then maybe S Planner which comes preinstalled on Samsungs. Then Business Calendar which is pretty popular and the one I am using. Then? Maybe users should be able to pinpoint the Calendar app they are using and I will try to parse its notifications for start time and description... Or should I look directly into the calendar data stored on the phone?

Waiting for inputs on this. Is this an important matter? Any good ideas?
 

vgergo

Senior Member
New 1.37beta

New voice command option: ►"(Show) what I missed"

~ Free version will remind less frequently

* Expanded notifications were trimmed but the new version will also trim the collapsed notification's second lines if too long (e.g. IMDB notifications)

* would speak during calls if "keep music playing" was selected for "Music interrupt". TN will never speak during call, under any circumstances.

~ most sliders were replaced with less space consuming check boxes in settings

+ new icons for these options (now they fit)

Screenshot_NormarAppImage.png
 

vgergo

Senior Member
v1.38b3

New beta 1.38b3
b1* better notifications for S Planner and Business Calendar (Pro)
b2* better text message notifications
b2* smarter color matching for circle and text
b3* headset state got forgotten: had to replug. Status storage moved to memory resident HeadsetMonitoringService (hopefully fixes it)

new-colors.png
 

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  • 5
    From the developer of S for Switch Voice:

    Touchless Notifications Pro and Touchless Notifications Free in the Google Play Store

    New: To become a beta tester of the Pro version please join this Google+ community: Touchless Notifications Beta testers

    "Listen to your notifications while your eyes and hands are busy"

    Please try the Free version to see if it works for you, before purchasing this Pro version

    You might have heard about the "What's up?" feature on the Moto X. They can ask "What's up?" and Touchless Control reads them their notifications. Politely, totally hands free, without ever taking their eyes off of what they are doing.

    So you like it? But you don't have a Moto X?

    You can have it now on your Android phone! Touchless Notification does that and much much more.

    Features:
    ► Reads out all active notifications, every app notification is supported
    ► Notifications are shown along the announcement in big clear fonts
    ► You can change the amount of detail from an itemised list to content of emails and text messages (for expandable notifications)
    ► Turns screen off, if phone is in your pocket
    ► Shake to mute
    ► Remembers what it has announced already, only updates you with what's new
    ► Language detection to use the correct TTS engine for non-English messages
    ► Choose chronology: newest to oldest or vice versa
    ► App exception list, to exclude apps from announcement
    ► Says ambient temperature on supported devices (Samsung S4, Note3, S5)
    ► Pauses the music for the time of the reading

    Complete user guide available online: notifications.dataglobe.eu

    Pro version benefits:
    ► You can personalize how Touchless Notifications will greet you, or turn off the greeting. The Free edition let's you change the greeting, but you will only hear it in the test announcement (in settings)
    ► You can hide the notification icon of the Pro version
    ► Touchless Notifications Free will remind you to get the pro version in the announcement
    ► Note: More Free features may be moved to the Pro version in the future

    You can have the reading start without touching your phone. Here are the options: (see video!)
    ► Issuing the voice command "open notifications" in Google Voice Search (more variations of the command are coming soon)
    ► Issuing the voice wake-up command "Hi Galaxy" on selected devices (using S for Switch Voice Pro)
    ► Connect the wired or Bluetooth headset. You can configure the time delay before the start of the announcement. Also works with car hands free systems.
    ► Attach or detach the charging cable. You don't have to look at your phone to hear about incoming notifications when you go to bed or pick up your phone after charging.
    ► Many other ways by simply launching the app from Tasker, Locale, NFC Retag etc.

    How does it work? The app is special, because it installs two icons on your phone:
    ► Touchless Notifications Pro: launch this for the initial setup and to change settings
    ► Notifications: launch this for the actual announcements

    Touchless Notifications places a permanent notification in the shade if you select any of the headset/power monitoring features. Remove the notification by disabling all connection triggers in the settings.

    Preparations:
    1► Launch "Touchless Notifications Pro" (the 2nd icon, NOT the "Notifications" icon!)
    2► Read the two popup windows and enable both settings:
    - Notification Access (on some devices the link might no take you all the way into the necessary Settings menu)
    - Device Administrator (this is needed to turn the screen off in pockets)
    3► Select the amount of detail in the "What to say" section, with special attention to "App exception list". You will need to come back to settings in the beginning to mark unwanted apps from the announcements
    4► Press speaker icon on top to test

    Q&A:

    Q I cannot uninstall?!
    A Go to Settings / Security / Device Administrators and uncheck

    Permissions:
    READ_PHONE_STATUS=mute announcement when a call comes in
    BLUETOOTH=detect when Bluetooth headset is connected to trigger reading
    BOOT_COMPLETED=restart the headset/power monitoring after restart

    Touchless Notifications Pro and Touchless Notifications Free in the Google Play Store
    2
    Version history

    Beta channel: To become a beta tester of the Pro version please join this Google+ community: Touchless Notifications Beta testers

    Symbols:
    * fix
    + new feature
    - feature removed
    ~ modification

    4.00 (beta: free, pro)
    * no more "empty" notifications announced (Oreo+ GROUP_SUMMARY filtered out)
    * will not announce "Google" when the Google Assistant is opened
    * "dot" is not pronounced (prononciation correction by default)
    + new option "Stop readout when call comes in" (neccessary to request PHONE_STATUS permission)
    + notification channels for Android Oreo
    ~sleep when done (show "Enable screen off / lock" when its grayed)
    ~change "Screen off + lock" menu item to show 3 options: "disabled" / "device admin lock" / "screen off via short timeout"
    +request permission to adjust screen timeout
    1:
    +added replace default to eliminate "dot" or "questionmark dot" from readouts
    *fixed: was no expanded text after v4.00

    3.41
    * whatsapp notifications are not read out if they come within 3 seconds of the previous (WhatsApp is notorious for updating its notification causing double readouts)
    * button to clear unused apps from blacklist/messging apps

    3.40
    *show quick-command icons in expanded notification

    3.39
    *keep non-adaptive icon in intro screens (increased resolution)
    +new option to black list phrases from only a specific app

    3.38
    *fixed crash when selecting English as a 2nd language (dialect)
    +new adaptive icons (Oreo and later)

    3.35
    *fixed a crash in World List Preference (settext/→)

    3.34
    +new option: "Always use 2nd language" → disables "Speak in full sentences" [tip: +Sven Hofians]
    *corrected spellign "alternate" to "alternative"
    +added sale announcement in Free version

    3.33
    +Added proper Slack support [thank you +Matt Arnett]
    *Fixed Hangouts notification (messages were read twice)
    *Fixed issue reading "dot" at the end of announcements

    3.30
    *Device Administrator description added (Play Store requirement)

    3.29
    *rare crash fixes

    3.28beta
    *out of memory crash causing notification listener to disconnect

    3.27
    *Various crash fixes (previously unreported)
    +App will now auto-activate itself after Play Store updates

    3.26beta
    +Attempted to stop duplicate readout of notifications of some apps on Android 6-7.
    ~Corrected the readout of Gmail messages on Android Nougat

    3.25
    *gmail messages are only read once

    3.24
    *crash fix: helpview==null setText
    +privacy policy

    3.23
    *Improved stability: Hopefully no more crashes caused by triggers (never close database)
    *Go to Notification Access by toggling the "Central switch"
    *Screen off (via short timeout) is more stable

    3.21
    *works with always on display
    *improved alternate screen-off method
    *workaround for Marshmallow screen lock issues

    3.20
    *improved stability: handles large number of active notifications better

    3.18
    *second language words in upper case were not handled correctly

    3.17
    *gray word lists if "second launguage" option is turned off

    3.16
    *improved upgrade procedure from Free to Pro (will only prompt to release Device Admin if it was enabled in Free)

    3.15 beta
    *if you enabled "wave to mute" and put the phone on charger: it did not announce notifications → fixed
    +option: "Screen off + lock" to select between screen off methods (device manager vs screen timeout hack)
    *screen-timeout screen off method will not mess up if BACK or HOME is pressed during screen fade
    +new setting: "Second language words" = Always use second language if text contains any of these words
    +new setting: "English words" = Always use English voice if text contains any of these words
    (if word match found neither 2nd language words nor identifier characters are checked)
    *no toast is show at device boot
    *intro slideshow buttons should now be correctly announced by talkback

    3.13 beta
    +Delay after each read-out: Time to wait after notifications are shown and announced (chance to dismiss)
    +Amount of detail announced: Expanded content / Shorten expanded content / All expanded
    *Tweaked the new screen off workaround to not leave a 0sec screen timeout accidentally.

    3.12 beta
    ~Turns off screen without locking the device after readout
    +Improved compatibility with Lollipop SmartLock
    +New permission: WRITE_SETTINGS is necessary to apply the screen-timeout workaround

    3.11
    *fixed blank Google Now notifications!

    3.09
    *crash fixes
    3.08beta
    *multiple reported crashes fixed

    3.07
    +improved crash reports - please send them
    *reported crashes fixed

    3.06
    *bugfix: caused by the previous update
    *more reported crashes avoided

    3.05
    ~now you can set non-US English as 2nd language for other dialects
    *various crashes fixed (thank you to all who sent crash reports)

    3.04
    *Second attempt at removing the unwanted toast ;)

    3.03 emergency fixes
    *Removed the repeating toast at boot
    *Improved skip blanks option to work in more cases
    *Various other smaller fixes which I did in the previous weeks but neither were big enough for a new release

    3.02 more fixes and improvements
    *Intro slider graphics optimized (caused out of memory errors)
    *Built in help can be accessed from the intro slider (Question mark in the upper right corner blinks to draw attention to this)
    *Bluetooth triggers related crashes fixed
    *Fixed other random crashes

    3.01 emergency bug-fix
    *Crashed if Wifi SSID, Bluetooth device or Notification had apostrophe in their names

    3.00 public release
    ~intro slider and built in help updated

    3.0beta2
    *Fixed: triggers were not started correctly after boot
    +Debug modes = disable tasker plugin + disable all triggers (press MENU on Touchless Triggers screen)

    3.0beta1
    +"Touchless trigger system"!!! → change app settings based on time/bluetooth/wifi/power/hardware connections
    -Removed: "Start summary when connected to..." menu item from Advanced mode (replaced by Smart triggers, still available in "Quick settings mode")
    +Simple 2x2 widget: resize to only show/hide full screen control (1x1 and 1x2) / current settings (2x1 vs 2x2)
    +Widget background transparency setting (under Voice I/O?)
    +Notification actions → pop-ups allow you to select modes instead of dual-state toggles
    ~Tasker plugin interface [x] (+) Floating add button instead of checkboxes
    +New audio stream option added: "None (silent / show only)"
    ~Monitor always on, unless "Central switch" is OFF
    +skip blanks option (when only app name is known, everything else blank)
    +new "Immediate readout" option: "Only if screen off"
    ~"Immediate readout" option "Always + show if headset or screen off" changed to "Always + show if screen off"
    (Full screen notification is not shown unless screen is off or "Always + Always show" is selected for "Immediate readout")
    +Audio stream selection made available from Tasker plugin (and the touchless trigger system) → set it to "None" to silence
    +Audio interruption setting made available from Tasker plugin (and the touchless trigger system) → set it to "Keep" when silenced
    +Full immersion display option
    +export/import triggers
    +log trigger activity
    -Removed the voice control alternatives, as Google Now stopped being able to reliably launch applications by voice command
    (an experimental, free stand-alone app can be installed from the Play Store)

    2.08
    +automatic cloud backup / restore settings (when installed on a new device) PRO
    ~Make "amount of detail" a multiple choice list where you can toggle individual components independently

    2.07beta
    *Attempt to fix Tasker plugin on Android v5.0.2

    2.06
    +Google inbox support
    +Central off switch

    2.05beta
    *Audio over "BT mono" fix attempt for kitkat → please check to see if it now/still works this way with your device
    ~Extended the log (to start logging double press "email dev" item in the feedback section, click "email dev" to send the log)

    2.04
    +notification logging
    ~battery use reduced (NL service optimized)
    *WhatsApp announcement problems sorted out

    2.03
    +user guide updated with Tasker plugin information
    ~messaging notifications: prevent repeated announcement of accumulated text in immediate readouts (Hangouts, WhatsApp)
    *secondary language selection was not possible unless you selected voice engine immediately before it
    ~more of a text message is displayed
    +Pre-announcement delay new option: Double delay (3→6 sec)
    *back key behaviour in the built in user guide: click to go back in history, double click to exit
    *inhibited full-screen flash-ins for notifications which disappear by the time they would get to be read
    +some default black list items, notably "incoming call" and "ongoing phone call" for new Google Voice integrated Hangouts
    +no notification readout during Hangouts calls (video or google voice)
    *updated the app to work with the new version of Google Voice Search, which would start the Settings instead of the readout

    Click for older history

    2.02
    +blacklist notification by search phrases
    +pronunciation correction dictionary
    *sometimes the phone could not go back to sleep after it woke to announce a notification
    +proper Tasker plugin (add action / Plugin / Touchless Notifications) - only works in Pro version → see tutorial: http://youtu.be/mC9HmpxZR_w
    +tasker/intent: quiet=no toast or notification ticker text displayed

    2.01
    +if full screen display and shake to mute were both turned off, there was no way to cancel a readout.
    → Now you can, by starting the summary again (by using launcher icon or notification quick action)
    → also the "Test Now" button restarts it with full-screen display, then you can use the back key to cancel
    +broadcast intent is sent when woken from sleep (receive with Tasker IntentReceive event (action="hu.viczian.notifications.woke") details below
    *"the"→"to" (on slide 7 of tour wizard)
    ~changed the wording on the "Notification Access stopped responding" → reboot if toggle doesn't help
    *voice reply should not start when user returns from launched app - fixed
    +(special feature if 2nd language = hungarian) text messages are always shown full screen even with screen on
    +added "Your device" to blacklist by default (thanks David Samual)
    *no summary on charger connection if external audio is connected
    *no proximity screen off when on power / speak only
    ~wave to mute when on charger
    *detect bluetooth headset and power connection on initial app run (or after reboot) → will even start summary

    2.00 MAJOR UPDATE
    +full screen gesture: down swipe = pause + option buttons (mutes voice when buttons already shown)
    +full screen gesture: up swipe = dismisses notification (clears it from the notification bar)
    +button on full screen: reply = voice input answer (for messaging notifications)
    +menu item: "Select messaging apps" = mark apps with reply capability
    +menu item: "Auto show reply button" = automatically show buttons for messaging notifications
    +menu item: "Voice prompt after messages" = voice prompt to reply for messaging notifications
    +menu item: "Messaging apps use 2nd language" = inhibit identifier based language check for messaging notifications (for languages with English characters)
    +menu item: "Prompt to unmute" = show unmute button on full screen if volume muted
    +intent command button:0/i/s/2 = auto show buttons for messaging notifications
    +intent command prompt:0/i/s/2 = voice prompt to reply for messaging notifications
    +intent command show:0/i/s/2/w (to control fullscreen notifications)
    +colorful tour wizard for first time users
    +notification listener crash recovery (after Play Store update and otherwise if something goes wrong, no need to reboot to get it back)
    +0-20sec delay for app notification sounds before single announcements (it will now mute the music only before it starts to talk - only when displaying the full screen notification.)
    +"hot" messaging app status: 5min special treatment for app which you replied to
    +foldable menu groups (with preview icons!) in advanced view => hopefully easier to navigate
    +new quick action toggle in the persistent notification of the app (we used to have a "Settings" button in the center position, but it just had the same effect as tapping the notification itself) More info on this at http://notifications.dataglobe.eu/index.html#notification
    ~look of settings menu: sections headings are more emphasized, margins reduced to show more
    ~menu item: "Select secondary language" (choose locale from list of available locales instead of typing their codes)
    ~menu icons: Active voice commmands, Black list, Say each once, Identifier characters, Email dev
    ~menu text: Device andministrator, Secondary langauge, Enable swipe gestures
    ~full screen help drawing: to include new gestures
    ~default setting: Full screen notifications = "Always display + wake phone"
    ~default setting: Automatic summary = (wired + bluetooth) + car dock + desk dock
    ~default setting: Amount of detail shown = Expanded content shortened
    ~default setting: Pre-announcement delay = Wake to show notification
    ~menu category headings slightly changed wording: "WHEN to start the read-out", "WHAT to include in the read-out", "HOW to read them out", "VOICE I/O (Messaging & Language)"
    ~TTS engine and speech rate moved from "HOW" to "VOICE I/O"
    ~Device administrator setting moved from top of the advanced menu to the very bottom in the "FEEDBACK" section
    (logic: most of my feedback is from infuriated people who can't uninstall the app, maybe here they will notice the reminder)
    ~Some menu items changed wording: "Start summary when connected to"
    ~New option under "Immediate read-out": "Always + show always"
    ~Notifications will wake the device if either the pre-announcement delay is set to "wake" OR the full-screen notifications are set to wake device (it used to be AND condition)
    ~the "car" intent (tasker) command now handles all 4 options: n/h/a/f
    *handle exception for non-bitmapDrawable icons
    *strange "Page Buddy" notification fixed (and similar others)
    *summary sort order didn't work, nobody noticed
    *proximity sensor turned off on user interaction
    *queued single announcements when they wake up the screen
    *if auto voice prompt was enabled (pulling down and) pressing the mic button prompted to send empty message
    *notification listener watchdog improved
    *switching between basic/advanced mode used to start a new instance of application, fixed (and this lead to...)
    - notification listener menu item removed (the app automatically prompts you to access it) This was the first removal in the life of the app ;)

    1.51
    +clarifications
    *improvements, fixes

    1.50
    +new trigger: car/desk docking
    *fixes

    1.49
    *no interruption in music if "keep playing" is selected
    +skip notification, if it is exactly the same as last

    1.48
    +new intent commands: shake, wave. Both can be y/n. Multiple commands in one intent: comma separated car:h,shake:n,wave:y
    ~kitkat style settings icon (gear as in app icon!)
    ~fade in at wake / fade out at sleep
    +dual Bluetooth + media/notifications stream 4.4 workaround
    *boot crash fixed when no connection triggers were selected
    +in app bug report now can include all your app settings in the email → app support made much easier
    *better in-call detection to abort any announcements
    ~more informative in-app instructions
    +new icons
    *various other fixes and improvements

    1.47
    +full screen notifications are shown in front of the lock screen (security or keyguard)
    ~if the default "Media" stream is selected, the speech functions from version 1.45 are used. This is an attempt to solve a TTS compatibility issue.
    ~message splitting is only used when a second language is enabled
    *removed [] and | characters from spoken text (it's annoying how SVOX would read them out)
    *excluded apps are propagated to immediate readout service right away (settings + 2 fingers)
    *text message read-out improved
    *business calendar tells you in how many minutes the announced event is going to be (more apps will follow)
    *missed call announcement fix (truncated names)

    1.46
    *More intelligent notification fetching
    *Much improved Gmail notifications
    +Audio stream selection (advanced settings / "how to read" section) → BT mono included as experimental feature = tested to work on Android 4.3, not reliable on 4.4 yet

    1.45
    *Improved compatibility with 4.4 notifications

    1.44
    +New: various hints&tips are displayed at the end of each Test summary (only when started from the settings using the Test button)
    *If you never switched to advanced mode the default "Notification" icon disappeared from the launcher, making it impossible to start the summary by saying "Open notifications"

    1.43 (Pentecost sale)
    +Quick settings screen with only the most essential options (on phones. Tablets have a hierarchical settings screen)
    +Test and language icons updated
    +Built in help updated

    1.42
    +incoming calls will abort non-displayed immediate announcements too
    *install-location: internal only (does it install on HTCOne now?)
    *fixed 2 kinds of force closes at incoming calls (sorry about them)
    *improved reading out expanded notification text (gmail, hangouts etc)

    1.41
    *Google+ comments notification
    +Notification bar actions: toggle car mode, settings, start summary (expand notification using two fingers) - added on user's request

    1.40 (5/28)
    +pre-announcement options added
    +wake phone to show notifications when not in pocket (in mode "car:always")
    ~Built in help extended with new features http://notifications.dataglobe.eu
    ~small aesthetic + spelling fixes in app
    ~proximity sensor turns screen off quicker (in pocket)
    ~new/revised icons (notification bar follows Android guidelines)
    ~slightly smoother screen on / off (I wish it was even smoother)

    1.39 (5/22)
    + NEW PERMISSION: WAKE LOCK (to wake phone, optional)
    + pre-announcement warning: yellow LED light + click sound + 3 sec delay
    ~ two finger swipe pauses read-out until choice is made
    + wake phone to display notifications (new option in setting: Full screen notifications)
    + feedback section in settings (bug report, app rating, google plus community)
    ~ only audio bt devices will trigger bt headset
    * improved notifications (removed some text duplication)

    1.38 (5/18)
    b1* better notifications for S Planner and Business Calendar (Pro)
    b2* better text message notifications
    b2* smarter color matching
    b3* headset state got forgotten: had to replug. Status storage moved to HeadsetMonitoringService
    b4+ immediate notification delay and intro sound (there's a click and 3 seconds of delay before announcement if wave to mute or shake to mute is enabled)
    b4+ control "immediate mode" using intents (tasker or other apps - for details see built in help or here)

    1.37 (5/15)
    * urgent fix: would speak during calls if "keep music playing" was selected for "Music interrupt". TN will never speak during call, under any circumstances. - fixed on user's request
    + New voice command option: "(Show) what I missed"
    ~ Free version will remind less frequently
    * Expanded notifications were trimmed but the new version will also trim the collapsed notification's second lines if too long (e.g. IMDB notifications)
    ~ most on/off sliders were replaced with less space consuming check boxes in settings
    + new icons for these options (now they fit)
    (this update will quickly be moved to production if no side effects are reported)
    Join the Touchless Notifications Google Community to become a tester.

    1.36 (5/10)
    * fixed incompatibility with Google Voice Search 3.4 in car mode
    + Wave to mute: wave at the phone to mute immediate announcements when the phone lays flat on its back (great for "always" car mode - with no display - and phone flat on desk)
    ~ rewired: display-less announcements now use service, not activity => incoming notifications will not switch away from certain apps
    * says "a number starting..." in sms text for numbers not in your contacts (doesn't blabber all 10 digits only the first few)
    * more ways to say "updated its notification"
    * colors, circles

    1.32 (5/3)
    ~ incoming notifications are queued if they come in while another one is being announced
    * headset/power connection disregarded if announcement is already in progress

    1.31/beta
    * hardware keys didn't work during display-less announcements
    * proximity sensor detection fixed
    ~ proximity sensor behaviour updated: screen now turns off as soon as something is detected near the sensor (in summary mode only)
    * temperature reading inconsistencies fixed: it can now tell you the temperature even with screen off, or display-less read outs

    1.30 (4/30)
    + car mode = announce new notifications as soon as they appear (repeating notifications and notifications without content are suppressed) - added on user's request
    + music interruption control = keep playing / pause / lower volume (podcast players may choose to pause on requests to duck)
    + display control = show notifications or not during read out (notifications are never shown when car mode is set to "always" and no headphone/bluetooth is connected)
    ~ variations on "about"
    ~ test button in settings will replay last summary
    * summary after single announcements
    * "the last one was sent to you" is not said in car/headset mode
    ~ shake detection mutes quicker
    ~ new, higher resolution app icons

    1.22 (4/22)
    + extensive online help

    1.21 (4/20)
    ~ greeting hint in settings "e.g. 'Hello'"
    + add "days ago" for notifications older > 48hrs
    + player checks for notification access and goes to settings if necessary

    1.20 (4/17)
    + swipe left (down in landscape) to skip ahead
    + two finger swipe to put app on exclusion list
    ~ illustrations in settings

    1.16 (4/16)
    ~ custom greeting: disable greeting, include custom greeting in name
    + new option: animated slide transitions

    1.14 (4/15)
    + pro imports settings from free before uninstalling
    + free switches to pro if both are installed
    + alternate voice command options (launcher icons) See details here.
    * overflow text is trimmed in itemised reading

    1.12 (4/13)
    + new different icon for settings app
    + mute / switch away instructions toast
    ~ text sizes unified across different screen sizes
    * some repeated text eliminated in notifications

    1.11 (4/12)
    ~ uninstall directly without going into Play Store
    * 4.4 crashes: isValidFragment

    1.1 (4/12)
    * Spelling mistake "turn off"
    ~ Greeting: good evening (0:00-2:59)
    ~ Shortened the maximum headset delay from 5 min to 90 seconds
    * Settings screen didn't appear during headset delay
    + Announcement cancelled if headset is disconnected during delay
    + Prompt to uninstall the free version when pro is installed

    1.0 Initial version (4/11)
    2
    Future Features

    Items on this list are implemented as the userbase grows. The numbers represent a tentative priority based on difficulty, importance and number of user requests. I may implement an idea from lower in the list, or postpone another infinitely.

    You can motivate me with good Play Store ratings and upgrades to Pro ;) Please recommend the app.

    1. Wildcards in the pronunciation / blacklist by phrase
    2. option to filter out/shorten phone numbers (Number starting XY...) and URLs (xy.com "url")
    3. 100% handsfree for regular text (SMS) and email (gmail). These are the only two services left which are not locked down :(
    4. Dial option for numbers in SMS and missed calls?
    5. Announce notification changes (music apps - new song e.g. Spotify) They work on Lollipop devices, if not, it's not possible :(
    6. Special treatment for time/phone numbers in notifications (time: say how much time to or since, phone: only say the first few digits) ~ already doing in some cases
    7. Language detection based on unread part of the expanded text too
    8. Localization (Hungarian, Polish, etc)
    9. Show contact icons (notification icon) instead of app icon
    10. Deeper integration with certain apps (Gmail, Messages: read all texts from the past hour, or all unread texts, or new texts from one person), reply by voice without paste etc.
    11. Pause, rewind summary readout + Repeat!
    12. Contextual messages: amount of time since last summary, temperature change since last readout, voice command dependent greeting
    13. Message queuing with voice-only notifications too
    14. Announce caller's name over bluetooth Might not ever be possible in new Android versions

    Completed:
    1. Smarter language identification (letter combinations / stop words / statistical method?) Dutch, German, French, Spanish → 3.15beta
    2. Command to have the entire expanded notification be read by https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hyperionics.avar → 3.13beta
    3. Option to skip blank notifications (when only the app name is known) → 3.0beta1
    4. Optional full immersive mode (On 4.4+) → 3.0beta1
    5. Display only mode (no talk) → 3.0beta1
    6. Option for no readout when screen on (similar to no full-screen notification currently with screen on unless headset is connected) → 3.0beta1
    7. Revised trigger system: time, wifi, docking, charger, bluetooth, headset, volume-level → more flexible control of what should happen → 3.0beta1
    8. Cancel summary read-out when triggering connection is disconnected → 3.0beta1
    9. Widgets to control some settings (mostly those which are available from the Tasker plugin) → 3.0beta1
    10. Mute immediate notifications for a time period → 3.0beta1
    11. Backup / restore / reset settings → 2.08beta
    12. Make "amount of detail" a multiple choice list where you can toggle individual components independently → 2.08beta
    13. Option to permanently opt out of Device Admin (no more bugging) → 2.06beta
    14. Master switch to turn off and unload TN from memory → 2.06beta
    15. Black list new apps by default → 2.05
    16. Keep track of message body in WhatsUp and Hangouts and don't announce accumulated text in immediate readouts →2.03
    17. Free-text black list to exclude only certain notifications from the read-out →2.02
    18. Native Tasker plugin, export more options →2.02
    19. New immediate readout trigger: wifi network connected Use Tasker to achieve this →2.02
    20. Dashboard control (icons only: toggles) →2.00
    21. Delay immediate notification read-out by a configurable length of time (more universal than the 3sec pre-warning) →2.00
    22. Setup / introductory wizard →2.00
    23. Ability to change the default language from English (~ forced secondary language option / per app) →2.00
    24. Voice response to messages (start voice search after message) →2.00
    25. Silent / Vibrate warning / prompt at the start of the summary read-out →2.00
    26. Make Notification actions available on the full screen notification →2.00
    27. Notification dismissal →2.00
    28. Secondary language / region selected from menu →2.00
    29. Pause summary readout →2.00
    30. Store notification text, do not announce it more than once if it doesn't change (a cure for Goolge Now frequent weather updates) →1.49
    31. Update settings icons to kitkat style →1.48
    32. TTS on dual streams voice + media [4.4 BT mono compatibility] →1.48
    33. Smoother fade-in, fade-out when phone woken up for immediate read-out →1.48
    1
    Voice command alternatives

    From version 1.14 you are not limited to the voice command "Open notifications".

    Under "When to say" in Settings you can currently select from 3 alternatives, and more may come in the future:
    ►(Open) notifications
    ►(Fire up) my notifications
    ►(See) what's up
    ►(Show me) what's up
    ►(Start) summary (NEW)
    ►(Play) what I missed (SOON)
    ►(Play me) what I missed (SOON)

    The command in brackets can be any of the action words Google Voice Search recognizes for launching apps. Here is the list I found to work in the current version on Google Now:
    ►Open... ►Start... ►Show... ►Play... ►Run... ►Execute... ►Launch... ►Fire up... ►Load... (There might be many more ;)

    These only work with some of the commands (what's up, what I missed...):
    ►Show me... ►See... ►Play me...

    So currently, if you configure Touchless Notifications to have the "My Notifications" launcher icon, you will be able to say:
    ►Start my notifications
    ►Play my notifications
    ►Open my notifications
    etc.

    One app, several icons

    You can mark any or all of the voice commands in the Settings. The app will enable a launcher icon for each (that's necessary for Google Voice Search to recognize them as apps, which it can open). So if you enable all of them, you will end up with these four icons:
    attachment.php

    The last one with the Gear of course is the settings. To reduce clutter in your app tray, you might want to gather them into a folder of their own.

    Alternatively you can disable all action icons, then you won't be able to start the announcement neither using Voice Command nor by clicking on an icon, but if headset or power connection monitoring is enabled, the app will activate itself.

    S for Switch Voice Pro users don't need any action icons either for the Offline mode activation.

    Your input is welcome

    Finally, I would like to invite you to come up with launch phrases which might feel more natural to you. These need to be "wired" into the app, so there will be a limit on the selectable alternatives, but we can add a few more. Let me know what voice command would you like to use:
    ►"(Start) briefing me"?
    ►"(Run) summary"?
    ►"(Launch) notification reader"???
    I'm open to your suggestions regarding these and any other function of Touchless Notifications.

    "Greeting text" dependencies
    View attachment 2692015
    1
    Great App!!! I am using it in a car setup, I want it to automatically read the text as it comes in, instead of having to launch every time. Anyway I can force it to start whenever a new notification occurs? Tasker set up perhaps? If so I will be buying the pro version.