Connection policy

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Overview

Kontalk has two modes of operation:

• Google Play version
• Basic version

Google Play version

This is the version that most users wants. It uses the push notifications service from Google (GCM) thus it requires that Google Play services is installed and at least one Google account is configured on the device. In this flavor, Kontalk will disconnect from the server after the time configured through the Disconnect when idle preference and delegate incoming messages notifications to GCM. This is the preferred mode of operation because it helps saving battery by not staying always connected to the server. Optionally, Kontalk can be configured to never disconnect from the server (set Disconnect when idle to never). In this case, GCM will not be used.

If, for whatever reason, Kontalk fails to connect to the server (it tries 10 times using exponential backoff), it will stop connecting and set up a timer to try again if a GCM notification was received the last time. This timer can be set through the Reconnect to server preference.

Basic version

The basic version is the one F-Droid users install. It's stripped down of all Google components, so no support for push notifications. It's configured by default to disconnect after some time (Disconnect when idle preference) and reconnect automatically after some time (Reconnect to server preference). Use this version if you can bear to wait for timed reconnection to receive incoming messages. Please note that you can always set Disconnect when idle to never disconnect from the server.

Other notes

Please note that the policies described above don't apply while the application is in the foreground. Kontalk will stay connected as long as you keep using it.

Keep-alive

Some times Kontalk will check for connectivity status while it's connected. The app will send a ping packet every 30 minutes (it will wake up the device if it's asleep) to test connection status. If there isn't a ping reply within a minute or so, connection is restarted. A ping will be sent also when you open Kontalk, restarting the connection if the server doesn't reply soon.