Buzz It | Android Universal Public Audio Chat App Template

Both iOS and Android versions can share the same database on back4app

20 May 2022
• upgraded to android 12
• all libraries updated
• gradle updated
• manifest issue fixed
• firebase updated
• added notification channel to support api 26+ devices
• admob crash fixed
• camera crash fixed
• recorder crash fixed
• permission issue resolved
• apk updated

20 May 2020
• Migrated to AndroidX. App version updated to 28. Gradle files updated.
• FCM implemented
• Documentation updated as per latest Google recommendations.

16 Sep 2019
• Fixed the issue with "Login with Facebook. " 
• Fixed the issue “Compatibility Issue with Facebook SDK 4.38.0” so we downgraded Facebook SDK to “4.37.0” still using the old constructor, so using that version fixes this particular issue.

29 July 2019
• Updated the Sign-Up and login Screen UIs
• Fixed Back stack issues from application
• Improved the Rooms screen by using Recycler View
• Improved List item screen design 
• Update Account Screen UI
• Applied Card View on application for better user experience
• Improved the Setting and Record screen UIs
• Fixed the crashing issue on:
  1) On Recording Stop “java.lang.RuntimeException: stop failed. at android.media.MediaRecorder.stop (Native Method)  
      at buzzit.domain.com.buzzit.Record$1.onTouch(Record.java:200)" 
  2) On Repeat Audio "Process: buzzit.domain.com.buzzit, PID: 5197 java.lang.IllegalStateException at 
      android.media.MediaPlayer._setDataSource(Native Method)" 

25 May 2018
• Accordingly to the new EU GDPR terms, I've updated the 'tou.html' file and Documentation.
IMPORTANT: This means that if a User asks for his/her Account deletion, you must do it within 24 hours, as the GDPR's "Right to be forgotten" Article states (LINK: 

8 May 2018
• Changed Parse verison in build.gradle into 1.16.0, due to some issue on the latest Parse SDK and FCM:
    implementation 'com.parse:parse-android:1.16.0'

• Edited 'getUserDetailsFromFB()' method in Login.java, this line of code:
    } else { currUser.put(Configs.USER_EMAIL,  facebookID + "@facebook.com"); }

17 April 2018
• Added Firebase dependencies in build.gradle(Module:app)
• Removed the 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:+' and updated all dependencies to the required ones only 
• Added the 'google-services' classpath in the dependencies{} list in build.gradle(Project:)
        classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:3.2.1'

• Added this Permission into Manifest.xml:
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED" />

• Updated the Documentation (connect your App to Firebase for GCM and Ads)

15 April 2018
• Updated to Android Studio 3.1.1
• Removed all dependencies of play-services | left only this one in build.gradle:
     implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:+'

10 April 2018
• Updated to Android Studio 3.1
• Updated 'compileSdkVersion' and  'targetSdkVersion' to 27 in build.gradle
• Replaced 'compile' with 'implementation' in build.gradle (Module: app)
• Updated classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:3.1.1' in build.gradle (Project:)

Buzz It is a Universal App Template for who wants to provide a mobile audio chat service where users can post audio messages in public rooms or easily create their own rooms. It has Push Notifications for sent messages: the owner of a room will receive a notification when a message has been sent to his/her room. Users can easily record a message by holding your finger on the record button, listen to the recorded audio and buzz it (send it to the app).

Buzz It is a native Android Studio project, Parse SDK hosted on Universal, easy to customize.

About Parse SDK and back4app

Read this article for more info about back4app and Parse SDK:

Can I host Parse Server on my own server?

Yes, although I don’t provide support for the setup process, you can read the official Guide here:

What about free support for this template?

I can offer free support for bugs encountered in the original code. Instead, if you’ve edited the code and messed something up with it, I may apply some fee to fix it either via TeamViewer or by checking your app project files directly on my computer.

How do I rename the app’s package name?

Read this tutorial to learn how to rename a package name:

Should I use the latest version of Android Studio to edit this template?

Yes, I always update my apps to the latest version of the IDE and you also should make sure you’ve updated the Android Tools to their latest version of the Android SDK manager.

The demo APK crashes on startup

Make sure that the minimum Android version of your device is the one listed in the FEATURES section below. If the problem persists, please contact me by my profile’s contact form and send me the Logcat message of you get when the app crashes along with the steps you made to reproduce the crash. Please note that not all real devices print an error Logcat message, in this case just run the APK into the Android Studio’s emulator and you’ll surely get the red messages about your issue.

How do I remove AdMob banner ads?

1. Enter the .xml files where there’s an AdView and remove its code:

       <com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView
           android:id="@+id/admobBanner" 
           android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
           android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
           ads:adSize="BANNER" 
           ads:adUnitId="@string/ADMOB_BANNER_UNIT_ID" 
           android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" 
           android:layout_centerHorizontal="true">
       </com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView>
   

2. Enter the .java files where there’s an AdRequest instance into its onCreate() method and remove its code:

           // Init AdMob banner
           AdView mAdView = (AdView) findViewById(R.id.admobBanner);
           AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
           mAdView.loadAd(adRequest);
   

3. Lastly, remove the play-services-ads reference in the build.gradle file:

       compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:+'
   

• Android Studio 3.x project – Universal – Android 5.0+
• AdMob banners
• Works with Parse SDK hosted on
• Push Notifications for sent messages (the room’s owner will get a notification on every new message that has been sent in his/her room)
• Easily create your own Rooms and browse the existing ones
• Record your 10-sec message, replay and post it with just a tap
• Settings screen implemented, where you can share the app and rate it on the App Store
• Report inappropriate messages feature
• Terms Of Use html page
• PDF User Guide included
• PSD graphics included
• Easy to customize, well commented code

• Apple Mac or Windows PC with their latest OS version installed
• The latest version of Android Studio and some knowledge about its UI interface
• Photoshop or any other image editor software
• A valid Google Developer account to submit apps to the Play Store
• A valid AdMob account to create a UNIT ID for banners
• A free account on back4app.com