Friday, November 18, 2011

Call Timer introduction

Call Timer can make your phone automatically hang up when your call reaches a configurable predefined time. Why it is needed? Many network carriers or telecom services offer free calls for first 5, 10, 20, xx minutes. If you don’t want to monitoring the time elapsed and manually hang-up the call while talking, then you can have this application do it for you.

NOTICE: LG PHONEs
LGs may not hang up, in this case, please try to enable Setting->Accessibility->Power button ends calls (Ajustes -> Accesibilidad->Colgar or Ajustes -> Accesibilidad->"El boton de activado finalizar")
FEATURES:

1/ Auto hang up: user sets time limit once and the application will be in standby mode; whenever there is an outgoing call or incoming call (optionally), the application will be activated and begin to time the call.

2/ Periodic notifications: This is useful for people who are charged per minute.

3/ Specific numbers: Allow you to specify individual phone numbers to apply limit of talk time to. You can add phone number to specific number list either by picking up contact from contacts list or by adding phone number prefixes, which are common beginning digits of the phone numbers that you want to add to the specific number list. Please note that when you choose to use “Specific numbers” feature, call-timer will not be activated (no auto hang up nor notifications) for phone numbers which do not belong to those numbers that have been added to specific number list.

4/ Exclude contacts from timer: If you don't want call timer to have effect on certain contacts or numbers (for example, toll free numbers), you can add those contacts to a list or add prefixes of those number to a list.

5/ Multi-call feature: Multi-call support allows you to:
    a/ View current used minutes accumulatively counted from the begining of current month. With minimum configuration setting ( Enable field "Monitor sum used"), you will know the amount of minutes used.
   b/ Monitor calls for period of whole month (not just monitoring one call separately as before).
- if you enable "Multi-call mode" and not change or change only "Begining balance (minutes)", then ONLY the last call (call that runs out monthly free time )  of month hangs up. In other word, call hangs up ONLY when balance equal zero. Begin balance is the amount of remaining minutes you have for your current plan at the time you install this application. Every new month comes, this number is auto set to number in field "Minutes" in "Quick settings" category.
   c/ Limit free time to a time interval and apply auto hang up to only calls that go into this interval.
- if you change setting (applied for plan with free minutes from  xx hours to yy hours) in "Setting free time interval", call will hang up when it reaches the "Free to" limit if your balance still >= 0, otherwise call will finish when balance equal to 0 . The default settings for "Free From" and "Free To"  are 0 and 24, correspondingly. The settings mean that all day is free. When change these settings, you should enter hours in 24-hour format and configure your phone to use  24-hour format (check it in Settings-->Date and Time).
PLEASE NOTE: if you enable  "Multi-call mode", when your balance finishes, any further call will hang up immediately after new call is made, to continue make call as usual you eithor need to disable the option or disable the application till the end of the month.

6/ Dual SIM support: if you make call from second SIM card, please enable option "2 SIM adjustment". PLEASE NOTE: Still have problem with Galaxy S DUOS.

7/ Timer start when call is answered. The is an option to make timer start when dial (when you hit call button). This is needed when "Timer starts on ANSWER" doesn't work (some devices or Android builds don't support).

8/ Auto redial.

9/ To be notified before hang-up.

10/ Temporarily disable call timer for current call.
 
11/Widget for fast enable/disable and for dialing most contacted contacts.

NOTE on USAGE:
- OPEN THE APP AT LEAST ONCE AFTER INSTALL, otherwise force close error will occur due to first time data is not initialized
- The Call timer automatically deducts 5 seconds from your configured duration. Ex, if you set 5 Minute, phone will hang up at 4' 55" from connect. This will guarantee that you don't have to pay extra-bill because of clock difference.
Please send suggestions or report bugs to call-timer@ctsoftsolutions.com. If someone could help in translation, please send an email to us.
Thank you!
CREDITS:
- Thank Fernando Salazar Peris for Spanish translation!