Dialling from Contacts PhoneApp on Yealink T5 Series Handsets

FreePBX Phone Apps
1

I have configured a horizontal softkey on a couple of Yealink T5 Series handsets to use the ‘Contacts’ PhoneApp (XML-API / REST-Contacts). This connects & displays my PBXact Contact Groups on the Handset LCD no problem, however, once navigated to a specific contact, I can see their Tel No but have no Send/Dial option to to actually trigger that contact to be dialled.

I assume I should see a Send/Dial option. Please can anyone offer a suggestion as to why this might be missing and/or how to make it appear ?

PBXact v15.0.17.24
Endpoint Manager v15.0.39.37 (with 3rd Party Phones addon)
Yealink T5 Series Firmware v96.85.0.49

2

What model Yealink are you using?

3

I have both a T54W and T57W. The same behaviour on both (ie. Contacts show & can be navigated no problem, just no Send/Dial option once you get to the contact you want).

The only visible options are Exit & Back once you get to an actual Tel No.

4

Neither of those phone models are supported for phone apps. If the apps work at all, then it’s only due to their similarity with supported models. I’m surprised that you’re able to conifg buttons with XML apps, you shouldn’t be.

https://wiki.freepbx.org/display/FPG/Phone+Apps-Supported+Devices

5

The models are specifically listed within the Yealink template of EPM (which I assumed to mean were supported/made available by the ‘3rd Party Phones addon’). Not only that, EPM enables me to configure REST-Apps for these specific handsets on Line/Soft keys no problem. I’ve also been using the Parking & Voicmail apps & they all appear to work just fine. Also, I believe all the T5 series use a unified firmware & so it stands to reason (I guess) that they should offer similar feature support/functionality.

The only missing link is that the T5 expansion is not supported, even though it uses the exact same underlying config entries as the supported T4 expansion, which makes no sense to me as to why it wouldn’t be made available (but that’s a whole other issue I guess).

I appreciate your assistance, do you have any suggestions regarding the ‘Dial from Contacts PhoneApp’ issue ?

PS. Support for these Handsets to be recognised as ‘Certified Devices’ within EPM v15.0.39+ was officially announced in Dec-2020 (see Endpoint Manager - Addition of new Yealink endpoints).

6

Support for Phone Apps and EPM are separate, we have many devices in EPM that don’t have Phone Apps support. I’m not sure why you have the option of configuring apps for buttons and I don’t, but the fact remains that Phone Apps on those devices are not supported.

Announcement for exp 50 is here:

7

Funny enough, I just spotted that announcement & am eagerly updating my EPM right now (download stuck on 88% for some reason). Thanks for the heads-up on that anyway.

I’m not going to lie, the idea that a 3rd Party Handset is supported/certified in EPM, but not for PhoneApps is a bitter pill to swallow (very disappointing) - The original announcement I referenced suggests other 3rd Party support/improvements are in the works. I hope PhoneApps support is not forgotten in that effort (as its a good selling point for the PBX, especially with ‘supported/certified 3rd party handsets’). If my customers actually liked the look/feel of the S-Series phones then I could/would supply them, but they prefer some 3rd party alternatives (as do I as it happens).

I just hope my ‘highlighting’ that PhoneApps are configurable & work for these models (except dialing from a contact) doesn’t jeopardise them being available going forward.

8

Well from my system I have here for testing, they are not available, I am unable to add a Phone App to any button on a T5 series phone except for the one model that is officially supported. The fact that you can is an anomaly, I would not expect that to work indefinitely.

Most of the time, manufacturers don’t opt for the cost and effort to get Phone Apps support and only get EPM support. That’s the reality of ecosystem we’re working in. Going forward, do not assume that any device with EPM support automatically has App support as well, consult the wiki page above to be sure.

9

Well, I’ve updated my EPM to the just released v15.0.39.39 & yes, the EXP50 is now included/configurable BUT the XML-API option for my Yealink T5x models is GONE. Clearly you must have had the later EPM version on your the system, which I guess is why you seemed so dismissive that I even had those options.

This is really bad news. I’ve literally only just touted/demo’d an entire system to a new customer based on the Yealink handsets they wanted, in conjunction with what I actually demonstrated to them as configured handset functionality. That entire proposition could now be compromised. If this change becomes a show-stopper, it won’t make them buy S-Series phones, more likely consider an alternative PBX (like 3CX or Yeastar) or alternative 3rd party handsets that have their own version of PhoneApps & no need for EPM/3rd party addon (like ClearlyIP). Either way, they’ll buying less or no Sangoma product in those scenario’s.

Also, just to be clear, your PhoneApps page does NOT say that unsupported handsets will have XML-API selection blocked by EPM, it actually says they may not work 100% (I guess like the Dial from Contacts option I started this thread about) & that we (users/resellers, not Sangoma) would have to test unsupported handsets for ourselves to see if/how well the work (well this isn’t possible if you’ve deliberately hidden the option in EPM).

I’m also slightly confused about the remark ‘manufacturers don’t opt for the cost and effort to get Phone Apps support, only EPM’ - I know 1st hand from using these models (until just now) that their isn’t any manufacturer internal ‘cost/effort’ on their part if they already have this functionality built into their handsets, it’s just that EPM is now ‘hiding’ that option.

Is this really about Sangoma wanting to charge more money to Yealink for their handsets to be ‘fully’ configurable within EPM, rather than any real technical effort/cost on Sangoma or Yealinks part to allow these functions to be selected, regardless of if they work ? (ie. EPM & PhoneApps are considered separate chargeable entities to 3rd Party vendors).

In fact, if I look at the T54S (which your PhoneApps page suggests is unsupported but works) vs T54W, there’s no difference other than having a fixed vs adjustable LCD & built-in WiFi support. BTW, the T54S doesn’t even appear to be available in the UK.

I’m sorry if I sound negative/on a rant, but this all seems a bit contrived & anti-consumer. It’s also really ruined my day.

10

You are still mixing EPM and phone apps together. They are completely separate products.

I do agree with you that they should not arbitrarily restrict it if we want to do something that may or may not work to their support level.

That said you can still do everything yourself with a basefile edit

11

I realise these are separate modules but one enables configuration of the other & to deliberately ‘hide’ that option under the banner of ‘its not supported/Yealink won’t pay’ seems off to me. This isn’t about whether they are the same thing, it’s about being able to configure the option in EPM from the Line/Soft Keys Web Gui for ‘EPM Certified’ devices.

The recent announcement of additional support for Yealink & other 3rd party phones states that it’s in an effort to ‘provide a best-in-class experience for provisioning Endpoints with FreePBX’ & yet these actions seem to fly in the face of that.

I also understand that there are ‘other ways’ to do some of this (basefile edit, remote phone book scripts etc.), however, doing basic things like having to configure a ‘EPM Certified’ handset ‘manually’, rather than through the Web Gui of the EPM module that I paid for, simply de-values the whole thing as being a viable commercial proposition. It’s fine if I just want to spend my time tinkering with tech as a hobby, but there’s no Commercial value in that for anyone.

This also goes completely against what it actually says on the ‘PhoneApps Supported Devices’ page about using essentially non Sangoma/Digium phones. To para-phrase, that page says ‘try it for yourselves, mileage may vary’, no mention of ‘we will deliberately hide the option when using unsupported 3rd party phones, even though they might work fine’.

I probably still sound like I’m raging, must work on that. Thank you for your comments, I appreciate your input.

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