Mobile avatar have several problems

Hello Bjorn - 

Thanks so much for your detailed feedback. It is very much appreciated.

I'd like to comment on each point - 

1. Autoplay 

When you refer to Facebook - you mean the facebook app. An app can do as it likes, and is not subject to browser restrictions. Try loading facebook.com in your mobile browser.

See this link for some more infomation.

https://www.aerserv.com/blog/why-does-video-autoplay-on-mobile-devices-not-work/

Although iOS10 has relaxed the restriction, and it is now possible for HTML5 to auto-play video within the Safari browser - but it may only play a video that does not contain audio. This unfortunately does not apply to our case - and in any case is not at all relevant to Android.

Question #1 - you may want to do so, to call attention to your SitePal character, but it is not strictly necessary - because the character comes with a built in play button. When the user touches it, the play button will become visible.

Question #2 - yes use 'replay(1)'  - try this example - http://www.oddcast.com/support1/replay_stop.html

Question #3 - pressing the button/link repeatedly should not be needed. Not sure what happened. Just tried it myself and it worked fine the first time. Try this example - http://www.oddcast.com/support1/saytext_classic.html

2. MANUAL PLAY.

I see the problem. I've referred it to engineering - we'll look into it asap.

Question #4 - I've passed this on. I think it makes sense to have the play button always visible on mobile.

I'll post an update here asap.

Best,

Gil

Hi Gil and thanks for your on-target answers,

A) AUTOPLAY IN APP:  You say an app may do as it likes.  May also an "HTML-app" do as it likes?  I.e. an app that simply encapsulates a (mobile adjusted) web page.
I certainly hope this is the case.  I am currently no expert on this, but I think the standard technical way here is that the app opens an "app-specific" browser.  So, hopefully, this "app-specific" browser has full rights, including SitePal auto-play?

B) AUTOPLAY IN WEB PAGE SET/DOMAIN: Unfortunatively, it seems as if "interact-before-SitePal-plays" also applies to other pages within same domain.  E.g., after having interacted with http://www.oddcast.com/support1/saytext_classic.html, then pressing http://www.oddcast.com/support1/saytext_fullbody.html, I have to interact again with the "fullbody.html" page before SitePal run, even if the latter page is part of the same domain as the first page.  Even a reload on the same page forces a new interaction to take place before SitePal runs.       Correct / comments on this?

C) MULTIPLE PLAY PRESSES: Yes, on the page  http://www.oddcast.com/support1/saytext_classic.html, I only have to press "CLICK ME" once on my Samsung S8+.

But please test the super-simple web page https://www.kosthold.no/.

As desktop web page, auto play works, and the speak button reacts immeditatively.

But on mobile, I have to press 3 times on the avatar on my Samsung S8 to start talk.

I have to press twice on the speak button to start talk.

Question 4: Good - always visible will be much better on mobile web browser..

Hi Bjorn - 

We have made a couple of changes to playback behavior on mobile devices - 

1. play button is now always visible - no need to touch the character.

2. when you click/touch the play button, audio should play. A further (second) click is not necessary.

No changes were made to behavior within desktop browsers.

Please take a look.

Regarding your points noted above - 

A. Your referring to using a web-view within a native code app. I believe that under those circumstances the app is free from browser constraints and can do as it pleases.

B. That's right - in the example you provided, these are different pages. In each page (not domain) the browser enforces this restriction. Not our choice - and the issue is not specific to SitePal.

C. As noted - this has been resolved. Suggest you clear the mobile browser cache before trying again.

Hope this helps - would love to hear your feedback.

Best,

Gil 

Dear Gil,

Thanks for good follow-up.

I did a new "Publish Scene" and deployed the avatar to https://www.kosthold.no in order to test the always-on play button on mobile browsing.  But, when running https://www.kosthold.no on my Android Samsung S8+, I do not get a play button immediately.

Actually, things have got worse, I now do not get a play button even if I finger-press the avatar.

So, looks like you touched the right code but got a wrong value on a boolean variable or something.

:-)

Please feel free to go to https://www.kosthold.no in order to test.  Including looking at the page source code.

FYI: Running on desktop shows no change - as intended.

Best,

Bjorn

Hi Bjorn -

I see your test page working as intended on my mobile device.

Please try clearing the browser cache on your device. If you still see the problem after clearing the cache, we will look into it further. 

Let me know,

Gil

Working.  Great, thanks a lot.

Not perfect, but far better.

Have a nice day.  :-)

Best,

Bjorn

I'm glad to hear it - thanks again for your helpful feedback which prompted this change.

Best,

Gil

Hmmm....    I think maybe we have an issue:

I have now encapsulated my web page www.kosthold.no into an Android app.

I.e., inside the app, I have among others a WebView connected to www.kosthold.no

(FYI: I run from Visual Studio Xamarin using my Samsung S8+ as Live Player).

Now, SitePal (inside my my Android app) wont auto-play.

Also, I get play-button automatically.  This should only happen on my mobile when I am running SitePal within a web browser on the mobile.  Not when I am running Sitepal inside a WebView inside an app.

Agree?

Best, Bjorn

I am not sure. Mobile programming is not our primary expertise. I will ask around. 

See if you can find a workaround - it should be possible for the app to make this work.