Bug 462365 - When only one device associated, share directly to it without additional confirmation
Summary: When only one device associated, share directly to it without additional conf...
Status: REPORTED
Alias: None
Product: kdeconnect
Classification: Applications
Component: android-application (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: unspecified
Platform: Other Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Albert Vaca Cintora
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2022-11-28 20:14 UTC by tomashnyk
Modified: 2023-01-02 22:08 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
This dialog is superfluous when only one device is connected (60.23 KB, image/jpeg)
2022-11-28 20:14 UTC, tomashnyk
Details

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Description tomashnyk 2022-11-28 20:14:12 UTC
Created attachment 154119 [details]
This dialog is superfluous when only one device is connected

When sharing a something from Android phone to my computer vida KDE Connect, I always need to go through dialog that I attach. It is a nuissance, because I only have one device associated. Therefore, I think that when only one device is associated, the file in question should be sent directly to it without this dialog.

The only functionality in this dialog in case there is only one device associated is to trigger a refresh*. I think it would be fine if a file was sent first and then this dialog would appear (probably with text" file sent to device xyz"). Alternatively, skipping this dialog could be an optional settings. However, I think having the device associated with just one device is quite typical, so I can see that being default.


*By the way the three dots in this case is a bad design, if the menu thus opened has just one item. Better put a button somehwere, probably between "KDe Connect" and "Share To..."
Comment 1 kdebugs2023 2023-01-01 17:11:38 UTC
Actually, i think the mentioned dialog is superfluous in EVERY case. The way it is supposed to work is that apps create "contacts" that show up as their own target. 

In this case, each connected device should have its own icon with name, like signal or whatsapp do it. That way no dialog at all is required.
Comment 2 kdebugs2023 2023-01-02 21:54:39 UTC
(In reply to kdebugs2023 from comment #1)
> Actually, i think the mentioned dialog is superfluous in EVERY case. The way
> it is supposed to work is that apps create "contacts" that show up as their
> own target. 
> 
> In this case, each connected device should have its own icon with name, like
> signal or whatsapp do it. That way no dialog at all is required.

I have to edit: 

It turns out this is just because some apps choose to implement their own share reciever. Firefox and Signal as an example, have to use that dialog to choose a specific target, in which case the suggestion by thomashnyk would be better than how it currently works.
Comment 3 FeRD (Frank Dana) 2023-01-02 22:08:48 UTC
(In reply to kdebugs2023 from comment #1)
>The way
> it is supposed to work is that apps create "contacts" that show up as their
> own target. 

And for a while, that is how it worked.

KDE Connect on Android _used to_ publish a share target per connected, paired device,
so not only could I select to share directly to my desktop PC by name, but that target
would be stored as the default "Share..." quick-link by e.g. Google Chrome. That way,
once selected, I could send another URL to the same paired device by simply opening
the browser menu and tapping the KDE Connect icon next to "Share...".

But at some point that seems to have stopped working, or at least it no longer works
that way on my current Android 12 device.

The APIs for doing this evolved some, in recent releases — in Android 6–9 the
Direct Share API [1] was used to publish device targets, but that was supplanted by
the newer Sharing Shortcuts API [2] starting with Android 10.

Sharing Shortcuts is rather different from Direct Share, and the app may not be
fully up to date with those newer APIs. There's some guidance on using Sharing
Shortcuts, along with making them backwards-compatible with Android <= 9
Direct Share, here: 
https://developer.android.com/training/sharing/receive#sharing-shortcuts-api

[1]: https://developer.android.com/about/versions/marshmallow/android-6.0#direct-share
[2]: https://developer.android.com/about/versions/10/highlights#sharing_shortcuts