Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Does it need root?
  It does not need root to work

• Does it rely on Google Play services?
  The app does not rely on any Google Play services.

• Is it an assistant, or is it just a framework to make an assistant?
  Out of the box it (will be) is an assistant, which is meant so that you can just use it without worrying about the details. However, it contains tools and features that power users and developers can use to create their own custom assistants from. It also acts as a platform that can be targeted if you are just interested in developing apps

• Why do I see you call it the SAF in some places, and the SF in others?
  I originally referred to the project as the Sapphire Assistant Framework, but then thought the term Sapphire Framework was more snappy. The GitHub repository name is already set, and they're similar enough that I use them interchangeably

• Why is it called the Sapphire Assistant Framework? What is it? What does that mean?
  The SF is an virtual assistant, just like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, or Mycroft. I designed the app on the idea that existing assistant apps kind of suck, and they don't really meet the needs of the user. The SF is designed to be tailored to the specific users needs, and as such can be customized or modified where needed. I built it as a 'framework' because I wanted it to be a platform for experimentation where developer ls can jump in on what they want to change without worrying about the rest. The framework offers a quick way to put together new ideas for testing, but also allows for extension if the existing design doesn't fit your use case

• How does the Sapphire Framework differ from AutoVoice?
  There are a few ways that the SF is different. First and foremost the SF is free and open source software, which helps to ensure that your rights are protected. Outside of that, the SF doesn't rely on any Google services, can work completely offline, and the libraries for the speech recognition and natural language processing can be completely replaced or modified. AutoVoice also uses a Regex based natural language parser, where as the SF uses a statistically/machine learning based one (Stanford CoreNLP)

• How does the Sapphire Framework differ from Google Assistant/Alexa/Siri?
  Being free and open source software you or a trusted persons can verify that all of your data is secure on device. Since you have access to all of the source code and configuration files you can tune, tailor, and customize your assistant to your hearts content. Also, the SF does all machine learning and speech recognition on device no information is transmitted anywhere, allowing you to use it for even the most sensitive data. This also means that when you lose service, you don't lose functionality.

• Can it integrate with Tasker/Mycroft/Termux/Alexa/Google/etc?
  Yes. Due to its heavily modular design it should be able to interface with just about any other app. Many of these are in my roadmap for the framework, but I have not yet gotten to developing them. Time is money, and I am poor and busy

• Why isn't it published on F-Droid?
  I will be publishing it on F-Droid at a later time, but currently it is not suitable for non-developers, and it's not particularly fun to look at it's UI when everything is happening on the back end. Once the app reaches beta quality I will be making a repository for F-Droid so that more people can try it out

• Why on device? It's resource intensive.
  There were multiple reasons I decided to have the SF work on device out of the box. First, I don't always have internet access, and I don't like losing phone functionality when I don't have internet. Second, many peoples phones are their only computer therefore I wanted an assistant that was the most useful to the largest number of people. Third, it's a more secure setup. An assistant may be handling sensitive and intimate details of your life, and as such I wanted to reduce the number of places that data goes without the consent of the user. Because everything is processed on device there is no risk of accidentally transmitting information to the wrong place, or having a 3rd party lose your information in a data breach. Fourth, the SF is highly customizable, so it is fairly trivial to swap out the on device resource intensive modules with remote server modules. Doing things on device was the tricky part, and by getting that out of the way other developers can quickly implement the easy parts.

• What is your use case for it?
  I have always found myself struggling to manage my schedule, time, projects, and information. This struggle has caused many issues throughout my life, and I have found the tools to remedy it to be lack-luster. I also care greatly about user freedoms and rights in a digital world, and am uncomfortable sharing all if the intimate details of my life with a company that uses me for data mining and profit. As such the SF is designed to be a craftsman's tool that fits well in the hand of the user, and is well suited to the task that needs accomplishing. It doesn't steal or sell your data, it gives power back to the user, and it allows you to have the final say in how it works