t1tech

US for now, but without any guarantee.

Not yet, but something that I really would like to offer.

On my TODO list! Might take a while though!

Cool project! Which carriers are you using and how do you get around things like A2P 10DLC?

I've built https://cophone.io - your online smartphone, complete with a phone number. It is an Android system running in the cloud that you can access via a browser, even on mobiles. Things like microphone and webcam work nicely, so you can even have meetings on cophone.

After iterating on it for a while, customers seem very happy and now growing day by day.

No marketing so far, just being out there and posting on various channels once in a while.

Release a new version of my product. If that goes well, focus on marketing.

Thank you for your feedback! I will have a look at the alternatives you proposed.

No, not yet, but I'll try it out! Thanks!

> being device bound with a key.

That's an intriguing idea! Will have to look into it!

Thank you, this is useful!

Indeed risk mitigation is crucial for companies. Your points are really good, I think they struck a good balance between functionality and security.

One other thing that I am considering, since it is a popular request, is to provide an app that can be installed on a physical device. The device would basically act as a proxy for the cophone's notifications but in addition would also notify the user about potential unauthorized accesses.

> 3rd line item ...

Totally! Thanks!

> use this for my MFA applications and various other internal applications

This!

The VM without a phone number was a way to offer free trials without having a phone number. Will see if it takes the test of time.

> I assume the VM's are running /e/. Yes.

> Have you tried installing any of the MDM's out there like AirWatch or InTune? No, I haven't tried. Cophone is very new and because of this lacks some functionality or app support.

> What would happen if I rammed a couple TB of BitTorrent data through that VM. Maybe used it as seedbox. Or maybe a proxy so I can access a streaming service.

Any tool can be abused. I have some bandwidth checks in place and some monitoring. More sophisticated abuse prevention is under development.

> why wouldn't I get a Skype number...

It's not just about the number, it's the whole package. Think BYOD but without the hassle of mixing work and private data. These devices could be supplied by your employer, with all the apps and number(s) that you need from day 1.

Thank you!

That's great input! This is all very fresh so I'm still building connections. I have to admit Voip providers were not on my list but it totally makes sense.

Sorry again for that, we had some issues scaling up. Your cophone is up and running!

Cophones are running an Android version from e/OS/

You can access the virtual smartphone from a browser running in a physical smartphone. Unfortunately not all smartphones/browsers support it.

a) AFAIK Canonical's Anbox does NOT give you a phone number. Also afaik, they don't provide a recent Android version, so you're stuck with a really old version.

b) This is a really good point! I don't know atm, I'll have to look into it.

Yes, this is (also) on high priority. But it depends alot on the country, some have very strict regulations around this. Which countries are you mostly interested in?

> Why is there a difference? Who is determining bad VOIP from good VOIP?

I don't know :(

> Are there steps you can, or are, taking to work on having your numbers legitimized?

Sourcing the phone numbers from a company with a reputation to defend - Twilio - is the main method.

> Where are you sourcing your numbers?

Twilio

This is, unfortunately, true. Some codes will NOT be delivered to your cophone.

Thank you for the feedback!

Indeed, this is something that I have learned from the comments here: that cophone needs to forward the notifications from the virtual smartphone to the physical one(s). Will put it on high priority!

Think BYOD, but without mixing personal and business data. So you can just open a browser on your personal mobile phone and access your work phone. Then, when you're in front of your (work) laptop, you just open a browser tab to access the same cophone instance.

Haha, only time will tell. But there are already some patterns that can guide me further, so I appreciate all the feedback and try to learn from it.

You don't need to carry a work phone anymore because you can access it on your personal phone, in a browser. Think BYOD, but without mixing the personal data with the business one. And when you're at work, you can access it on your (work) laptop, again by simply opening a browser.

You can use your personal phone to access it, BYOD style but completely separated from your personal data.

I am exploring having an app, I think that makes more sense for everybody.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. Cophones run e/OS/, which is an Android based OS.

You won't need to carry your work phone anymore, you can just access it in a browser on your personal phone or on your work laptop without any data being shared between them.

Also you cannot lose your work phone as you would with a physical one. Which might be interesting for your employer if you handle sensitive data.

The longer term plan is to also provide an app that you could install and therefore achieve the same mobility. This would be the only work app you would have to install on your personal mobile phone in order to access your work phone. This is still in brainstorming phase.

Do you happen to know more about how the companies that only offer the phone numbers prevent fraud?

Yes, from what I've tested. You obviously need a device with a touch screen though (a physical mobile phone, tablet or laptop with a touchscreen)

This is exactly one of the use cases of cophone.

Cophone has virtual phone numbers. This is - one of - the reasons why some services like WhatsApp won't even sent you a text message, although it is possible to receive SMSes. Cophones are VMs with virtual stacks.