Is It Possible to Share App Invites by Selecting Contacts and Communication Channels Seamlessly?

[gouri]

Hi everyone,

I'm exploring a feature for a mobile application where users can invite others to engage with the app by sharing a short text message and a link (e.g., to download the app). Here’s the user experience I want to achieve:

1. Contact Selection:
   Users can pick contacts from their device’s contact list, with the app displaying available communication channels (e.g., WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger) for each contact.
2. Channel Assignment:
   For each contact, users can choose the preferred way to share the invite (e.g., WhatsApp for one person, Viber for another).
3. Seamless Sharing:
   Once contacts and channels are selected, the app initiates the sharing process. For example, it opens WhatsApp with a pre-filled message for one contact, waits for the user to send the message, and then opens the next app (e.g., Viber) for another contact, repeating this until all invites are shared.
4. Tracking:
   Within the app, I want to track which contacts have been invited (without directly knowing if they received or acted on the invite, since this would depend on the third-party app).

My Questions Are:

1. Is it technically possible to implement such a feature across Android and iOS?
   
   • For example, can we dynamically identify which communication channels are available for each contact within the device's contact list?
2. If possible, what technologies, APIs, or SDKs should I explore to make this work?
   
   • Would this require deep integration with specific messaging platforms, or can it be handled through general OS-level features (e.g., the share sheet)?
3. Are there any alternative approaches to achieve a similar user experience, especially if direct integration with third-party apps is limited or not feasible?

Additional Context:

• This feature is targeted at a user base that frequently uses apps like WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram, and Messenger for real-time communication.

Thank you all.


P.S This my first thread as I am now starting to investigate more on the app I want to do.

 

[simong1993]

Absolutely, you can build a feature like this, but it’s a bit nuanced. On Android, you’ve got more freedom to interact with contacts and launch specific apps like WhatsApp or Messenger using intents. It’s harder on iOS because of stricter privacy and app sandboxing, but you can still use the Contacts framework and the system share sheet to get things rolling.

Detecting what communication apps a contact uses directly isn’t really feasible, though. You’d need specific integrations with apps like WhatsApp or Messenger, and those often require their APIs or approval processes. A simpler approach is to let users pick contacts, then use a share flow where they choose how to send the invite through the apps already on their phone.

For tracking, you can log which invites were initiated in your app, but you won’t know if they were sent or acted on because that’s up to the third-party app.

If you’re aiming for simplicity, stick to system share sheets or generate pre-filled links for users to send manually. If you’re willing to dive deeper, explore APIs from apps like WhatsApp or Messenger, but be ready for platform-specific requirements and limitations. It’s a balance between functionality and what’s technically feasible without overcomplicating things. Let me know if you need more details!

 

[gouri]

Absolutely, you can build a feature like this, but it’s a bit nuanced. On Android, you’ve got more freedom to interact with contacts and launch specific apps like WhatsApp or Messenger using intents. It’s harder on iOS because of stricter privacy and app sandboxing, but you can still use the Contacts framework and the system share sheet to get things rolling.

Detecting what communication apps a contact uses directly isn’t really feasible, though. You’d need specific integrations with apps like WhatsApp or Messenger, and those often require their APIs or approval processes. A simpler approach is to let users pick contacts, then use a share flow where they choose how to send the invite through the apps already on their phone.

For tracking, you can log which invites were initiated in your app, but you won’t know if they were sent or acted on because that’s up to the third-party app.

If you’re aiming for simplicity, stick to system share sheets or generate pre-filled links for users to send manually. If you’re willing to dive deeper, explore APIs from apps like WhatsApp or Messenger, but be ready for platform-specific requirements and limitations. It’s a balance between functionality and what’s technically feasible without overcomplicating things. Let me know if you need more details!

No no! I think we're good 🙂 Please excuse my delayed response! It seems that Share sheet will have to make it. And about keeping track the contacts invited, you can only know once they accept, if ever 🙂.
And since this seems like a standard way of doing things, the user experience in this case will be not that bad.