Mobile App Review: Amnesty SOS

A. INTRODUCTION

In this post, I will review Amnesty International's mobile app for you on both Android and iOS platforms. Amnesty International has already been doing its own part for years successfully to:

• Stop violation of human rights 
• Protect people and communities who are in immediate danger

Now it is your turn to do your part and 

• Join this great community by taking actions for human rights
• Speak out for people facing with unlawful, inhumane treatment
• Encourage friends and family to raise their voices for human rights
• Collect more signatures and amplify your impact 
• Share on social media

Figure: Amnesty SOS App on Google Play Store

Figure: Amnesty SOS App on iOS App Store

Android App details are as follows:

Version: 1.1
Released on: Feb 20, 2018
Developer e-mail: digitalcomms@amnesty.ca

iOS App details are as follows:
Version: 1.1.1
Released on: April 2017
Developer e-mail: digitalcomms@amnesty.ca

B. HOW IT WORKS

Here is how it works with own words of the app in the App Store:

"How it works: 

When there is an urgent action alert, Amnesty will send out an notification to Amnesty SOS users. 

1. Tap to open the app and read about the case 

2. To take action, press the 'Send a message' button and fill out the action form – pre-filled if you've taken action before 

3. Share the actions with friends, family and colleagues via social media – The more people who speak out, the more powerful our collective voice becomes. 

4. Collect more signatures – from friends, colleagues, or community members and events! 

We can -- and do -- make an impact when we act together."

Figure: Pop up message showing instructions on how to send an urgent message 

Things to do:


1- Download App

Search for the keyword "Amnesty SOS" in the store (App Store or Google Play Store), the first result should be the official app of Amnesty.

2- Make sure to allow app to send you notifications

Since this app is not an entertainment, social media, gaming app; this app can reside on your smart phone inactively for years unless notifications are not allowed. Sometimes, minutes, hours, days matter to prevent any unlawful act that violates human rights. In case of such events that you may want to be involved in to defend human rights, Amnesty SOS will be sending you notifications to speak out louder and hence eventually make an positive impact on some people's lives. 

In Android devices, notification is set to ON by default. In iOS devices however, a pop up window asks to turn on notification when application is first launched.

Figure: Allow app to send you notifications

3- Scroll through the timeline and Start Sending Urgent Messages

User Interface of the app is quite simple and only consists of a scrollable timeline similar to what we are familiar with in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Just click on any story to read more about it and then send an urgent message. You don't have to type a message from scratch  as there is already pre-written message for every story and recipients for it.

4- Share on social media

To increase the outcome and/or speed up the process to stop any violation of human rights, do not forget to share it on social media

5- Collect signatures digitally

If you are a human right activist and always carry papers and pen to collect more signatures, good news is that you no longer have to carry those since what you need is already in your pocket... Smartphone!

Even if you forget to bring petitions/papers/pen with you, you can still collect signatures digitally as long as you have active Internet connection either via Wifi or Cellular data.

6- Rate app and make comments on Google Play Store or App Store

Currently, there are very few ratings and comments about these apps in Canada Store. If there is not enough rating and comment about an app, then user may think that this is not a legitimate/decent/official app, maybe a fake one. To help this app to look "actual" official app of Amnesty, we should go ahead and rate and comment about the app. 5-star, 4-star, 1-star, negative feedback, positive feedback are all welcome and will help app to look as it should be.

Each application resides on its own country's app store. So, ratings and comments about the app only shows up for the people living in that specific country. 

7- Send feedback to the Developer

Since apps are very new on stores, it is highly probable that these apps may have bugs or crashes on certain OS version or on certain type of devices or on certain screen sizes.

Please send your feedback to the developer of the app (digitalcomms@amnesty.ca) with a reproducible steps that shows the existence of bugs, preferably with the visual attachments and test environment details. You are not expected to report a bug like a QA professional but the better you report it, the easier the developer fix it.

C. HOW TO ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS

Depending on the specific version of iOS or Android, steps to allow notifications might be slightly different. But generally, it should be very similar to the steps below and fairly easy to perform.


1- How to Turn on Notifications on Android

Figure: Turning on notifications switch on an Android Device

2- How to Turn on Notifications on iOS

Settings -> Notifications -> SOS Amnesty -> Allow Notifications Switch

Figure: "Settings" page in iOS Device

Figure: "Notifications" page on iOS Device

Figure: "Allow Notifications" switch within App's page

D. SUMMARY

Now that we have Amnesty SOS mobile app available in the stores, we don't have to travel across oceans to get involved in any human rights activism. It is now as close as your phone, right in our pocket. If you care about fundamental human rights you have, but some others are in urgent need regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity whichever part of the world they are from, here are the steps that you can easily do:

• Download Amnesty SOS App
• Allow app to send you notifications
• Send Urgent Messages
• Share them on social media
• Collect signatures from your friends or family using your Smart  Device
• Rate app and make comments on App Store
• Report any bug if you come across

E. TEST ENVIRONMENT

Android Device: Galaxy Tab S2

Android OS Version: 7.0

Apple Device: iPhone 6s

iOS Version: 11.3.1