FIX: Sound effects in native app

[ikevin127]

• Held on https://github.com/Expensify/Mobile-Expensify/pull/13756 so that the assets are included in hybrid app in order to test this

Explanation of Change

The sound effects logic was first introduced in PR #31055, then latest major update was in PR #50130 about 1 year ago, at that time the sound effects worked as expected 🟢

🟡 The issue is caused by:

1. E/App migrating to new arch: the react-native-sound: v0.11.2 we currently use is outdated / doesn't have support for new arch, which is causing the sounds to not play on new arch builds (what we have currently for both HybridApp and Native (Standalone)).
2. When we created the Mobile-Expensify (iOS / Android: HybridApp) repo, the sound assets were not linked / added on native apps side which means the app that the users are currently using (HybridApp) simply does not have these sounds in their bundles once built, meaning there's no sound source / path to play.

☝️ From this, the reason that the sounds are not playing are:

• HybridApp: Because of New Arch / react-native-sound being outdated + the sound files missing from bundles
• Standalone: Because of New Arch / react-native-sound being outdated (sounds are already linked)

Important

Only works when built together with E/Mobile-Expensify PR https://github.com/Expensify/Mobile-Expensify/pull/13756.

Fixed Issues

$ #71881
PROPOSAL: #71881 (comment)

Tests

Precondition:

• On all platforms: Make sure that in Settings > Preferences > Mute all sounds from Expensify is disabled / off
• On web based platforms, make sure browser-level sounds are not muted / disabled

1. Login into the app.
2. Go to a report / chat.
3. Send a few text / attachment messages.
4. Verify that with each message sent, you can hear the sound effect of message being sent.

• Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

Offline tests

N/A

QA Steps

Same as Tests.

• Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

PR Author Checklist

• I linked the correct issue in the ### Fixed Issues section above
• I wrote clear testing steps that cover the changes made in this PR
  • I added steps for local testing in the Tests section
  • I added steps for the expected offline behavior in the Offline steps section
  • I added steps for Staging and/or Production testing in the QA steps section
  • I added steps to cover failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
  • I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
  • I tested this PR with a High Traffic account against the staging or production API to ensure there are no regressions (e.g. long loading states that impact usability).
• I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
• I ran the tests on all platforms & verified they passed on:
  • Android: Native
  • Android: mWeb Chrome
  • iOS: Native
  • iOS: mWeb Safari
  • MacOS: Chrome / Safari
  • MacOS: Desktop
• I verified there are no console errors (if there's a console error not related to the PR, report it or open an issue for it to be fixed)
• I verified there are no new alerts related to the canBeMissing param for useOnyx
• I followed proper code patterns (see Reviewing the code)
  • I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick)
  • I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
  • I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
  • I verified any copy / text shown in the product is localized by adding it to src/languages/* files and using the translation method
    • If any non-english text was added/modified, I used JaimeGPT to get English > Spanish translation. I then posted it in #expensify-open-source and it was approved by an internal Expensify engineer. Link to Slack message:
  • I verified all numbers, amounts, dates and phone numbers shown in the product are using the localization methods
  • I verified any copy / text that was added to the app is grammatically correct in English. It adheres to proper capitalization guidelines (note: only the first word of header/labels should be capitalized), and is either coming verbatim from figma or has been approved by marketing (in order to get marketing approval, ask the Bug Zero team member to add the Waiting for copy label to the issue)
  • I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
  • I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
• If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
• I followed the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
• I tested other components that can be impacted by my changes (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar are working as expected)
• I verified all code is DRY (the PR doesn't include any logic written more than once, with the exception of tests)
• I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.ts or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
• I verified that if a function's arguments changed that all usages have also been updated correctly
• If any new file was added I verified that:
  • The file has a description of what it does and/or why is needed at the top of the file if the code is not self explanatory
• If a new CSS style is added I verified that:
  • A similar style doesn't already exist
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• If new assets were added or existing ones were modified, I verified that:
  • The assets are optimized and compressed (for SVG files, run npm run compress-svg)
  • The assets load correctly across all supported platforms.
• If the PR modifies code that runs when editing or sending messages, I tested and verified there is no unexpected behavior for all supported markdown - URLs, single line code, code blocks, quotes, headings, bold, strikethrough, and italic.
• If the PR modifies a generic component, I tested and verified that those changes do not break usages of that component in the rest of the App (i.e. if a shared library or component like Avatar is modified, I verified that Avatar is working as expected in all cases)
• If the PR modifies a component related to any of the existing Storybook stories, I tested and verified all stories for that component are still working as expected.
• If the PR modifies a component or page that can be accessed by a direct deeplink, I verified that the code functions as expected when the deeplink is used - from a logged in and logged out account.
• If the PR modifies the UI (e.g. new buttons, new UI components, changing the padding/spacing/sizing, moving components, etc) or modifies the form input styles:
  • I verified that all the inputs inside a form are aligned with each other.
  • I added Design label and/or tagged @Expensify/design so the design team can review the changes.
• If a new page is added, I verified it's using the ScrollView component to make it scrollable when more elements are added to the page.
• I added unit tests for any new feature or bug fix in this PR to help automatically prevent regressions in this user flow.
• If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.

Screenshots/Videos

Android: Standalone / HybridApp

Standalone	HybridApp
android-standalone.mp4	android-hybrid.mp4

Android: mWeb Chrome

android-mweb.mp4

iOS: Standalone / HybridApp

Standalone	HybridApp
ios-standalone.mov	ios-hybrid.mov

iOS: mWeb Safari

ios-mweb.mov

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

web.mov

MacOS: Desktop

desktop.mov

[melvin-bot]

@situchan Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

[github-actions]

⚠️ This PR is possibly changing native code and/or updating libraries, it may cause problems with HybridApp. Please check if any patch updates are required in the HybridApp repo and run an AdHoc build to verify that HybridApp will not break. Ask Contributor Plus for help if you are not sure how to handle this. ⚠️

[codecov]

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
see 368 files with indirect coverage changes

🚀 New features to boost your workflow:

• ❄️ Test Analytics: Detect flaky tests, report on failures, and find test suite problems.
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[ikevin127]

@situchan E/Mobile-Expensify PR https://github.com/Expensify/Mobile-Expensify/pull/13756 was merged 🟢 this one is ready for review now!

Note: The ❌ eslint / typecheck / prettier are not directly related to this PR, they come from the MoneyRequestParticipantsSelector because I merged main, I'm awaiting for the offending PR author to resolve the issue after which I will merge main again ✅ Asked on Slack about it.

[ikevin127]

🟢 Ready for review! Merged main again to resolve the☝️ failing workflows coming from main.

[situchan]

Reviewer Checklist

• I have verified the author checklist is complete (all boxes are checked off).
• I verified the correct issue is linked in the ### Fixed Issues section above
• I verified testing steps are clear and they cover the changes made in this PR
  • I verified the steps for local testing are in the Tests section
  • I verified the steps for Staging and/or Production testing are in the QA steps section
  • I verified the steps cover any possible failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
  • I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
• I checked that screenshots or videos are included for tests on all platforms
• I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
• I verified that the composer does not automatically focus or open the keyboard on mobile unless explicitly intended. This includes checking that returning the app from the background does not unexpectedly open the keyboard.
• I verified tests pass on all platforms & I tested again on:
  • Android: HybridApp
  • Android: mWeb Chrome
  • iOS: HybridApp
  • iOS: mWeb Safari
  • MacOS: Chrome / Safari
  • MacOS: Desktop
• If there are any errors in the console that are unrelated to this PR, I either fixed them (preferred) or linked to where I reported them in Slack
• I verified there are no new alerts related to the canBeMissing param for useOnyx
• I verified proper code patterns were followed (see Reviewing the code)
  • I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick).
  • I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
  • I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
  • I verified any copy / text shown in the product is localized by adding it to src/languages/* files and using the translation method
  • I verified all numbers, amounts, dates and phone numbers shown in the product are using the localization methods
  • I verified any copy / text that was added to the app is grammatically correct in English. It adheres to proper capitalization guidelines (note: only the first word of header/labels should be capitalized), and is either coming verbatim from figma or has been approved by marketing (in order to get marketing approval, ask the Bug Zero team member to add the Waiting for copy label to the issue)
  • I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
  • I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
• If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
• I verified that this PR follows the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
• I verified other components that can be impacted by these changes have been tested, and I retested again (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar have been tested & I retested again)
• I verified all code is DRY (the PR doesn't include any logic written more than once, with the exception of tests)
• I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.ts or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
• If a new component is created I verified that:
  • A similar component doesn't exist in the codebase
  • All props are defined accurately and each prop has a /** comment above it */
  • The file is named correctly
  • The component has a clear name that is non-ambiguous and the purpose of the component can be inferred from the name alone
  • The only data being stored in the state is data necessary for rendering and nothing else
  • For Class Components, any internal methods passed to components event handlers are bound to this properly so there are no scoping issues (i.e. for onClick={this.submit} the method this.submit should be bound to this in the constructor)
  • Any internal methods bound to this are necessary to be bound (i.e. avoid this.submit = this.submit.bind(this); if this.submit is never passed to a component event handler like onClick)
  • All JSX used for rendering exists in the render method
  • The component has the minimum amount of code necessary for its purpose, and it is broken down into smaller components in order to separate concerns and functions
• If any new file was added I verified that:
  • The file has a description of what it does and/or why is needed at the top of the file if the code is not self explanatory
• If a new CSS style is added I verified that:
  • A similar style doesn't already exist
  • The style can't be created with an existing StyleUtils function (i.e. StyleUtils.getBackgroundAndBorderStyle(theme.componentBG)
• If the PR modifies code that runs when editing or sending messages, I tested and verified there is no unexpected behavior for all supported markdown - URLs, single line code, code blocks, quotes, headings, bold, strikethrough, and italic.
• If the PR modifies a generic component, I tested and verified that those changes do not break usages of that component in the rest of the App (i.e. if a shared library or component like Avatar is modified, I verified that Avatar is working as expected in all cases)
• If the PR modifies a component related to any of the existing Storybook stories, I tested and verified all stories for that component are still working as expected.
• If the PR modifies a component or page that can be accessed by a direct deeplink, I verified that the code functions as expected when the deeplink is used - from a logged in and logged out account.
• If the PR modifies the UI (e.g. new buttons, new UI components, changing the padding/spacing/sizing, moving components, etc) or modifies the form input styles:
  • I verified that all the inputs inside a form are aligned with each other.
  • I added Design label and/or tagged @Expensify/design so the design team can review the changes.
• If a new page is added, I verified it's using the ScrollView component to make it scrollable when more elements are added to the page.
• For any bug fix or new feature in this PR, I verified that sufficient unit tests are included to prevent regressions in this flow.
• If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.
• I have checked off every checkbox in the PR reviewer checklist, including those that don't apply to this PR.

Screenshots/Videos

Android: HybridApp

android.mov

Android: mWeb Chrome

mchrome.mov

iOS: HybridApp

ios.mov

iOS: mWeb Safari

msafari.mov

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

web.mov

MacOS: Desktop

desktop.mov

[situchan]

[situchan]

After reading through comments in old PR, patch was added to fix iOS remote build error.

@tgolen please generate adhoc build to see iOS build works.

[tgolen]

OK, I'll trigger them now.

[github-actions]

🚧 @tgolen has triggered a test Expensify/App build. You can view the workflow run here.

[ikevin127]

@tgolen Thanks for the adhoc bulilds! The successful adhoc build confirms that we don't need the patch anymore ✅

♻️ I just tested the Android: Native adhoc build on a real device and sound effects work 🔊 (I'm assuming they work on iOS: Native as well, but cannot test since my device is not added for adhoc testing).

Android: Native 🔊

android.mp4

How do we go about testing whether this works on HybridApp as well, are there adhoc builds for that ?

ℹ️ QA asked me on the E/Mobile-Expensify PR why it's not working, I let them know and added [NoQA] there since this PR is needed in order for HybridApp to work as well.

[tgolen]

Hm, that's a good question. @mountiny or @AndrewGable do you know if there is a way to build an adhoc hybrid app?

[AndrewGable]

You just need to put both PR numbers in the text boxes and it will use both PRs to build.

[tgolen]

Oh, fancy! OK. I'll try that

[github-actions]

🚧 @tgolen has triggered a test Expensify/App build. You can view the workflow run here.

[mountiny]

Yep! Or as the PR template says:

<!--- 
If you want to trigger adhoc build of hybrid app from specific Mobile-Expensify PR please link it like this:

MOBILE-EXPENSIFY: https://github.com/Expensify/Mobile-Expensify/pull/<PR-number>

--->

@ikevin127 you can just add the Mobile-Expensify PR there and the adhoc build would use that oldApp PR without the need for the engineer to specify it in the workflow dispatch trigger

[github-actions]

🧪🧪 Use the links below to test this adhoc build on Android, iOS, Desktop, and Web. Happy testing! 🧪🧪
Built from App PR #73798 Mobile-Expensify PR Expensify/Mobile-Expensify#13756.

Android 🤖	iOS 🍎
https://ad-hoc-expensify-cash.s3.amazonaws.com/android/73798/index.html	https://ad-hoc-expensify-cash.s3.amazonaws.com/ios/73798/index.html

Desktop 💻	Web 🕸️
⏩ SKIPPED ⏩	⏩ SKIPPED ⏩
The build for Desktop was skipped	The build for Web was skipped

---

👀 View the workflow run that generated this build 👀

[ikevin127]

Android: HybridApp sound effects work on the adhoc build ✅

Android: HybridApp 🔊

android-hybrid.mp4

The only thing I'm not able to test is on iOS: Native / HybridApp, maybe ask QA to verify before we merge just to be sure ?

[tgolen]

I get an integrity error when I try to install it on my iphone. I'm not sure why. I think it's probably safe enough to merge this as-is and just let QA do their testing on the real thing. Are you OK with that @ikevin127?

[AndrewGable]

integrity error

Sounds like an AdHoc provisioning profile error. https://stackoverflowteams.com/c/expensify/questions/17615

[ikevin127]

I think it's probably safe enough to merge this as-is and just let QA do their testing on the real thing. Are you OK with that @ikevin127?

@tgolen 🟢 Same, I agree and at this point I'm confident this will work on iOS: Native / HybridApp as well given that it works on Android.

[tgolen]

@AndrewGable that makes sense. This is a new phone, thank you!

OK @ikevin127 I'll go ahead and merge it then.

[OSBotify]

✋ This PR was not deployed to staging yet because QA is ongoing. It will be automatically deployed to staging after the next production release.

[OSBotify]

🚀 Deployed to staging by https://github.com/tgolen in version: 9.2.46-0 🚀

platform	result
🖥 desktop 🖥	success ✅
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

[OSBotify]

🚀 Deployed to production by https://github.com/luacmartins in version: 9.2.46-3 🚀

platform	result
🖥 desktop 🖥	success ✅
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	failure ❌

[blazejkustra]

@tgolen @ikevin127 Do you know what the expected behavior is for NewDot on mobile when the app is in the background? (silent mode turned off) Specifically, should the user hear a sound for incoming messages? If you’re not sure, who would be the best person to ask?

[ikevin127]

@blazejkustra The 'while app is in the background' case wasn't part of this PRs scope so I'm not entirely sure what the desired behaviour is in terms of that, but here's a summary of my thoughts on this:

TLDR: Not sure whether we have this logic in place already in the app - but there are options.

In React Native apps, background audio behavior differs significantly from web browsers due to OS-level power management.

Here is a summary of the expected behavior and control mechanisms:

📱 Expected Behavior

• No Active JS Execution: Unlike a browser tab, a backgrounded React Native app is suspended shortly. It cannot "decide" to play a sound via JavaScript when a message arrives.
• OS Responsibility: Sounds for incoming messages in the background must be triggered by the OS via Push Notifications (FCM/APNs), not the app's internal logic.
• Silent Mode: If "Silent Mode" is off, the OS will play the sound defined in the push payload.

🛠️ Control Mechanisms

To align the mobile experience with the web (e.g, Outlook / Mail in different tabs), one can control the following:

• Push Payload: The server must include the "sound" key in the notification payload - without this, the notification will be visual-only (silent) regardless of device settings.
  • Notification Channels (Android): You can define specific channels for "Messages" to ensure they have high importance and a specific sound file.
• Foreground vs. Background:
  • Background: Managed by the OS (requires a sound key in the push).
  • Foreground: Managed by the app (requires manual trigger using react-native-sound / expo-av or similar to mimic the "web" feel).

Conclusion: To ensure the user hears a sound, ensure the backend is sending a sound parameter in the push notification and that the corresponding sound file (or "default") is configured in the app's native resources (✅ this I know we have after the PR for this issue - sounds were added as native resources).

[tgolen]

Do you know what the expected behavior is for NewDot on mobile when the app is in the background? (silent mode turned off) Specifically, should the user hear a sound for incoming messages?

I think this is the desired behavior, yes. Whether or not it's technically possible is something I would defer to others.