[LOW] [Groups] [$500] Room - Inconsistency in behaviour while adding VOIP number as contact via start chat&room

[kbecciv]

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Version Number: 1.4.21-1
Reproducible in staging?: y
Reproducible in production?: y
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail:
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers):
Logs: https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/4856
Expensify/Expensify Issue URL:
Issue reported by: Applause - Internal Team
Slack conversation:

tl,dr from below: Expensify, users shouldn't be allowed to use VoIP phone numbers. In one part of the app, we (inconsistently) allow that. We classified it as a backend issue, and it's waiting to be picked up by an internal engineer.

Action Performed:

1. Go to https://staging.new.expensify.com/
2. Tap on a room chat
3. Tap on header---members----Invite
4. Paste the VOIP number (+18183305299)
5. Tap invite
6. Note user can add VOIP number as contact
7. Navigate to LHN
8. Tap fab---Start chat
9. Paste the VOIP number (+18183305299)
10. Select the VOIP number (+18183305299) from the list
11. Note error message is displayed

Expected Result:

User must be not be allowed to add a landline or VOIP contact to a room or other places in the app. The error message that should be returned is the same as if you try to invite them to a chat via steps 7-11 above. "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP, please use your email address instead."

Actual Result:

In room, Voip number allowed to add as contact but in start chat adding voip number showing error.Inconsistency in behaviour displayed.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

Which of our officially supported platforms is this issue occurring on?

• Android: Native
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: Native
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

Screenshots/Videos

Add any screenshot/video evidence

Bug6331978_1704360576357.voip.mp4

View all open jobs on GitHub

Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~01907badd5c1783209
• Upwork Job ID: 1742844313960140800
• Last Price Increase: 2024-01-18

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~01907badd5c1783209

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @mallenexpensify (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details.

[melvin-bot]

Bug0 Triage Checklist (Main S/O)

• This "bug" occurs on a supported platform (ensure Platforms in OP are ✅)
• This bug is not a duplicate report (check E/App issues and #expensify-bugs)
  • If it is, comment with a link to the original report, close the issue and add any novel details to the original issue instead
• This bug is reproducible using the reproduction steps in the OP. S/O
  • If the reproduction steps are clear and you're unable to reproduce the bug, check with the reporter and QA first, then close the issue.
  • If the reproduction steps aren't clear and you determine the correct steps, please update the OP.
• This issue is filled out as thoroughly and clearly as possible
  • Pay special attention to the title, results, platforms where the bug occurs, and if the bug happens on staging/production.
• I have reviewed and subscribed to the linked Slack conversation to ensure Slack/Github stay in sync

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @0xmiroslav (External)

[brunovjk]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

Discrepancy in behavior when adding a VoIP user in a workspace and starting a chat.

What is the root cause of that problem?

1 - Allow creating server request for invalid phone numbers (landline or VoIP),
2 - Inconsistency server response when dealing with invalid phone numbers (landline or VoIP).

Where users can invite/add others members/users:
1 - Invite member/user to a workspace
2 - Search a user and 'start chat'
3 - Invite member/user to a regular room
4 - FAB > Start chat
5 - FAB > Request money
6 - FAB > Send Money
7 - FAB > Assign Task

Backend response for then:
1 - "onyxData": [], - "message": "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP..."
2 - "onyxData": [ { ... createChat": { "1705430486982131": "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP...

3 - "onyxData": [ { "key": "report_3251340957676970", "onyxMethod": "merge", "value": { "participantAccountIDs": [ 16258318, 16177509, 16256252, 16256248, 16258226, 16205380 ], "participants": [ "[email protected]", "+18183305299", "+18183305295", "+18183305296", "+18173305299", "[email protected]" ], "visibleChatMemberAccountIDs": [ 16258318, 16177509, 16256252, 16256248, 16258226, 16205380 ] } },

4 -"onyxData": [ { ... createChat": { "1705430486982131": "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP...
5 - "onyxData": [], - "message": "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP..."
6 - "onyxData": [], - "message": "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP..."

7 - "onyxData": [ { "key": "report_8859913735881996", "onyxMethod": "merge", "value": { "description": "", "lastVisibleActionCreated": "2024-01-16 19:27:01.357", "managerID": 16258666, "ownerAccountID": 16205380, "parentReportID": "1566167401886507", "reportID": "8859913735881996", "reportName": "tes2", "state": "OPEN", "stateNum": 0, "statusNum": 0, "type": "task" } }, { "key": "personalDetailsList", "onyxMethod": "merge", "value": { "16205380": { "accountID": 16205380, "avatar": "https://d2k5nsl2zxldvw.cloudfront.net/images/avatars/default-avatar_22.png", "displayName": "[email protected]", "firstName": "", ...

Online - UI behavior:
1 - Almost good - a "There was a problem adding ..." instead of "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP...".
2 - Looks good - Open a disabled report chat with a "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP..." message.
3 - Big Issue - We can add the member successfully.
4 - Looks good - Open a disabled report chat with a "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP..." message.
5 - Issue - Open a report full with only skeleton loading.
6 - Issue - Open a report full with only skeleton loading.
7 - Big Issue - We create a task and assign the member successfully.

Off - UI behavior:
1 - Looks good - Able to invite, disable look.
2 - Looks good - Able to start a chat and a conversation, disabled look.
3 - Issue - Able to invite, 'pressed' look after invite instead of disabled. #34671

4 - Looks good - Able to start a chat and a conversation, disabled look.
5 - Looks good - Able to create a iou report and a conversation, disabled look.
6 - Looks good - Able to create a iou report and a conversation, disabled look.
7 - Looks good - Able to create a task report and a conversation, disabled look.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

Create a landline or VoIP form validation. #24519 (comment)

Since we need the backend to verify a number, we need Standardize backend responses when the check for VOIP and landline is true.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

[mallenexpensify]

Updated the Expected behaviour in the OP

Expected Result:

User must be not be allowed to add a landline or VOIP contact to a room or other places in the app. The error message that should be returned is the same as if you try to invite them to a chat via steps 7-11 above. "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP, please use your email address instead."

@brunovjk @0xmiroslav and others, let's make sure we're testing any other ways/places a user can be added to ensure we surface the "The provided phone number belongs to a landline or VoIP, please use your email address instead." error everywhere. I want to fix all instances at once and not manage multiple GH issues.

[melvin-bot]

📣 It's been a week! Do we have any satisfactory proposals yet? Do we need to adjust the bounty for this issue? 💸

[melvin-bot]

@mallenexpensify, @0xmiroslav Uh oh! This issue is overdue by 2 days. Don't forget to update your issues!

[mallenexpensify]

d'oh, tagged wrong person and not you @0xmiroslav , can you please review my comment above and the proposals? Thx

[brunovjk]

Proposal

Updated

[melvin-bot]

📣 It's been a week! Do we have any satisfactory proposals yet? Do we need to adjust the bounty for this issue? 💸

[melvin-bot]

@mallenexpensify @0xmiroslav this issue was created 2 weeks ago. Are we close to approving a proposal? If not, what's blocking us from getting this issue assigned? Don't hesitate to create a thread in #expensify-open-source to align faster in real time. Thanks!

[0xmiros]

@brunovjk Thanks for the proposal. I see you directly linked to #24519 (comment). Can you add some context behind it?

[brunovjk]

Can you add some context behind it?

@0xmiroslav although 'I think on top of the proposal, they should implement some sort of check in the front-end for whether the provided phone number is valid before creating an' report #24519 (comment)
I understood that 'these validations are meant to happen on the backend since we can't easily verify if a phone number is VOIP (from its format, we can check but it's not dependable)' #24519 (comment)

This is what I found on Github+Slack, maybe there is a better discussion on the subject, I don't know, but I understand the difficulty of trusting these validators on the frontend, and I wonder about the feasibility of standardizing responses when validation for an invalid number is true.

[melvin-bot]

@cubuspl42 @mallenexpensify this issue is now 4 weeks old and preventing us from maintaining WAQ. This should now be your highest priority. Please post below what your plan is to get a PR in review ASAP. Thanks!

[mallenexpensify]

Thanks @danieldoglas , checking in #vip-split

https://expensify.slack.com/archives/C05RECHFBEW/p1706839984516219

[melvin-bot]

@cubuspl42, @mallenexpensify Uh oh! This issue is overdue by 2 days. Don't forget to update your issues!

[mallenexpensify]

Added to VIP Split project, bumping to weekly.

[lanitochka17]

Is this the same issue or need a new one?
Using Voip number invited contact to WS, the contact disappears but red dot shown near members

em.mp4

[mallenexpensify]

Thx @lanitochka17 I'm unsure. @cubuspl42 what do you think? My hunch is...

1. If it's related, if we fix this issue, then the one above wouldn't/shouldn't happen, right.
2. If yes to Some initial fixes and code style updates #1, then we can either remember to double check the flow once done here or create a new issue and put it on hold, pending this one.

[cubuspl42]

Summing up the issue, as the post history is long:

In Expensify, users shouldn't be allowed to use VoIP phone numbers. In one part of the app, we (inconsistently) allow that. We classified it as a backend issue, and it's waiting to be picked up by an internal engineer.

[cubuspl42]

About the concern raised by @lanitochka17:

I say let's create a new issue and put it on hold on this one. There are multiple differing aspects (different routes, different user-observable symptoms), and I think this will be less prone to being forgotten this way.

[lanitochka17]

@cubuspl42 Hello
#36806

[mallenexpensify]

Thanks @lanitochka17 and @cubuspl42

[mallenexpensify]

Posted in #vip-split

and #engineering

[tgolen]

Daily Update

• The Web-E PR has been created
• It covers both the room invite and the task assignee flows

Next Steps

• Wait for reviews
• Respond to reviews
• Merge and deploy

ETA

• Merged tomorrow Mar 5
• Deployed to production Mar 7

[tgolen]

Daily Update

• The Web-E PR failed QA and still wasn't working as expected

Next Steps

• I'll create a new PR to fix the feature and get it to pass QA this time

ETA

• PR created today Mar 6
• PR merged tomorrow Mar 7
• PR deployed to staging Mar 8

[tgolen]

Daily Update

• The second PR attempt was merged to production and passed QA

Next Steps

• Close this issue