Get Google e-mail account

[Perry]

I am using the Android + object and trying to get the e-mail from the google account with GetGoogleAccountemail$( "AndroidPlus" )
but it returns nothing..

Am I suppose to do something special?

I have "Get Accounts" enabled.

I did notice that android doesn't come up anymore with popup to let you know what permissions are being asked.
so idk if I am missing something

Thank you

[Kimera]

I have the same issue... I recently upgraded Dev 2.5 - Build 290.4 to 2.5+ Build 292.5 and it does not work. Since you have the same issue I thought I would go back to my older version and build it there. That version works so it's something in 2.5+ or 292.5 build I guess.

[Perry]

you might be right.. someone on discord mentioned that it was working fine in 290.x

[Kimera]

@Perry Fernando pointed something out in my post for the same issue, that I ask him to close so we can just use this post...

android plus did made a change in this so you will get the email account from user approval

check this example testGoogleEmailAccount.mfa which you may find inside AndroidPlus folder

to reach menu---> help---> examples.

I am going to test that out and see if it works in my upgraded version of fusion and if not then try it in the older build and see if I get the same result.

Thanks to both you and Fernando for looking in to this!

[Kimera]

@Fernando and @Perry The example worked just fine! It even worked on my old Samsung so that was cool!

I have to say though, having to use this method lacks luster.

Now I have some questions...
- At one point you posted, a while back, we would not have to deal with asking by using the GET_ACCOUNTS option, what happen to that method?
https://community.clickteam.com/threads/98323-Accessing-email-adress-on-Android

- If this is an "Android forces us to do it this way" thing, can't we use the GET_ACCOUNTS option to ask if it's OK to get the email address in the permissions?

- Why is this permission dealt with differently then one that would let me delete files, overwrite owner data, change phone settings and configuration, etc , which would let me do so much more damage then me getting an email address?

- Somehow you got the list of email's to populate the options list, how can I do that without asking like you did? I can then just parse the list to get the first email address or all of them if I wanted.


I also have some input...
- At this point I would much rather just go back to 2.5 - Build 290.4 where I can get this information I want without having to ask. Being able to do so makes me think this was not an Android choice but a Clickteam choice which means you have, understandably, made the choice to do this to help protect the account holder.

If it is a Clickteam choice..
- Having said that, and if this is the case, with no real delicate way to say it and I am sorry but, that should not be a choice Clickteam makes for the developer and I would like you to give the developers their power back. Remember, I did say I understood why you would do it but with the power that Fusion provides a developer there are so many ways a developer could "do the wrong thing" if they were that type of crappy person. Keeping us from getting an email address without asking is kind of like putting a band-aid on a severed limb.

- The people who do use it, that I know of, use it as a type of ID for their user, as I did in one of my apps. Using this helped me to tell if one of my non-registered users changed devices (got a new one or utilized multiple) and if one of my registered users had multiple google email addresses (for ties in to social media) among other things. Never have I sent email to one of these nor have I planned to do so. I get an additional email, or the same one sometimes, in the registration process. I want to keep my users so I only communicate with them through means they provide.

- Maybe you could keep the current method in the object but also give us our ability back, by using permissions like GET_ACCOUNTS as well so the developer has the ability to make their own choice.

- I am sure there are other things that Clickteam has done to help protect end users of Fusion apps, and that is great, but this cat is already out of the bag and there are apps that use this feature already. In the grand scheme of things, this does not really stop anyone from getting the email address without asking. Since the object lets you start another apk file you could write a small apk in 290.4 that is hidden and saves the information then closes so the 292.5 app can now read the email address.

[Fernando]

since get accounts is one of the dangerous permissions that all user are aware of, this method is the preferred by google and does not require for the permission anymore, relays on the google play services lib and user.

the previous mode is not getting answered in latest devices though, let me see if I can keep it, it still available in android object --->Expression menu--> Device info, only get the first one if several are present, that is why Google move it to new method

[Kimera]

You are the man! I understand changes get made so maybe we can use an option that just returns the list you use to make the option list, then we can parse through it.

[Dobermann]

You must know that the old method doesn't work on Android 8, it's Why I'm using the toolbox where it ask for the player what email he wants to use, and i ask for this only the first time the player launch the game.
I Don't like to use the email (because if a player change its email it will create a new account in my game), i would prefer to be able to recover the Google Account ID that never change.

[Perry]

I'll take a look when I get home.
I might have to find something else then.
I was using it, to identify my users for the online scores, since you don't really change that.
Don't feel like getting a popup every time.

Does the HW ID works normal, or does that require an confirmation too?

[Kimera]

@Dobermann I understand your point and your need! I never use the email as THE ID but AN ID. I create the record in the database using the email they provide during registration which, in turn, creates an ID in the database. If the user changes their email they would then need to change the email address in their profile which is tied to the ID given by the DB. Using the phone ID I can do checks to help determine if the user has changed their email address. This does not work if the user gets a new device and changes their email address at that time but for registered users, who log in, I now know they have done both (new device and new email) as a new email address does not mean the old one is no longer good for making connections. Having multiple email addresses stored for one user allows me to ask if the user know's "these" people based on a list of email address in another users friends lists and that I use for no other reason then to allow them to make these connections. While you may want a non Google account tied to the app, a friend of yours may only have your Google Account Email and I would not be able to make that connection.

You can drive people to register with any email address by giving them the ability to switch devices, without loosing data, or some other benefit Then they can manage the email tied to your app via a profile while you maintain a user ID created by your database. At that point all they are missing is an auto login feature which you can set up in the app so they only have to log in one time on any device. Now they can do something in your app on one device, close it, use another device and see what they just did on the first device. If they provide you with an email that is not a Google Account Email during registration you now have one more email address you can use to help make connection and now that they have registered, with the proper opt-out options, you can provide update information or news to the user through their registered email address.