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I think the big problem is on most "dumb-ish" phones the SMS app can't access critical information of the phone like location. So let's say I wanted to just tex

I think the big problem is on most "dumb-ish" phones the SMS app can't access critical information of the phone like location. So let's say I wanted to just text an uber to pick me up and drop me off, I now need to go into a location app to get the address or coordinates, so I might as well just use the uber app directly that combines address lookup with ordering the ride. Probably many other examples where you can't get the exact info you need in order to communicate to a system over SMS without another app providing it.

miraclebob 5mo ago
Totally fair. Tons of cases where apps offer far and away more convenience. No question that smartphones and millions of apps have their place. But just as people might find the hackernews site refreshing in its minimalism and straightforward uses, maybe there is room for a renaissance of sorts for more sms integration out there :shrug: Back in 2015-18 when chatbots were getting mainstream and Alexa was cool, twilio really pushed its chatbot integration. Intent handlers based on sms input, etc. Maybe with everyone and their dog sticking agents behind their APIs, we might get better natural language access to our favorite apps APIs via sms input output. Sometimes I’d prefer a text over a notification pop up where I then open an app and get lots of noise and info in my face
- chris_money202 5mo ago
  It would be cool, if you get a platform working for this, it's guaranteed to work on any phone too which is nice. Probably would want something where the platform handles auth and payment through the SMS service tied to your phone number. Initially have to go to a webpage or portal to sign up and register a CC, and from there platform handles the rest, allows companies to register SMS "apps" on the platform that users can "download"/register/interact with via SMS.

miraclebob 5mo ago

Totally fair. Tons of cases where apps offer far and away more convenience. No question that smartphones and millions of apps have their place. But just as people might find the hackernews site refreshing in its minimalism and straightforward uses, maybe there is room for a renaissance of sorts for more sms integration out there :shrug: Back in 2015-18 when chatbots were getting mainstream and Alexa was cool, twilio really pushed its chatbot integration. Intent handlers based on sms input, etc. Maybe with everyone and their dog sticking agents behind their APIs, we might get better natural language access to our favorite apps APIs via sms input output. Sometimes I’d prefer a text over a notification pop up where I then open an app and get lots of noise and info in my face

chris_money202 5mo ago
It would be cool, if you get a platform working for this, it's guaranteed to work on any phone too which is nice. Probably would want something where the platform handles auth and payment through the SMS service tied to your phone number. Initially have to go to a webpage or portal to sign up and register a CC, and from there platform handles the rest, allows companies to register SMS "apps" on the platform that users can "download"/register/interact with via SMS.