I've been tasked with creating a custom email notification system since the current provider hasn't enabled Exchange Active Sync (EAS) for mobile devices. Right now, we only have a web page/server URL to work with. Here's a quick summary of what I'm looking to accomplish: 1. I need to build this myself or find a suitable workaround. 2. The primary focus is on Android, and I'll consider how to approach it for iPhone users later. 3. Ideally, it should run as a lightweight task in the background. 4. I'm not looking for a full mailbox retrieval, just a system that alerts me about new emails (whether in real-time or a bit retroactive). 5. Since the initial login requires an OTP code, I'd like to incorporate that during the startup. I have done some research and found a potential solution—a Chrome extension for a Chromium-based browser on Android. However, I'm not entirely satisfied with it, though the source code is available for reference. I've also considered using scripts or automation through other apps. My background is somewhat in C++, but I'm not experienced in Android development, Java, etc. Any guidance on frameworks, pipelines, or scripting would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
To answer your question about frameworks, you might want to look into Firebase for push notifications along with something like Retrofit for network operations in your Android app. Starting with the backend logic first will save you a lot of headaches later on with the app’s interface and user interactions. Just focus on getting that core functionality working before diving into the UI.
It sounds like what you really need is a server-side polling or notification service. Instead of starting with the Android app right away, build a service that checks the mailbox through the web interface or any available protocol. This service should keep track of the session and send push notifications to your Android device. The tricky part is handling authentication, session reliability, and detecting changes without syncing the entire mailbox.
Just a heads up, Exchange can be a pain with rate limiting. Continuously polling it might not get you the timely notifications you're after. You've got to think about how frequently you're hitting the server—otherwise, you could run into some major issues with delays.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely check out Firebase and Retrofit. Starting with the backend does seem smarter since that’s where the complexity lies.