OTP & Phone Verification

The RideEase authentication system utilizes Firebase Phone Authentication to verify user identities via One-Time Passwords (OTP). This process is primarily managed through the UserDetailsViewModel, which interacts with an underlying AuthRepository to handle the asynchronous verification flow.

Phone Verification Flow

The verification process follows a two-step handshake:

Request OTP: The application sends the user's phone number to Firebase.
Submit OTP: The user enters the 6-digit code received via SMS to complete the verification and update their profile.

Initiating Verification

To start the process, use the startPhoneVerification method. This method triggers the SMS delivery to the provided phone number.

Method Signature

public void startPhoneVerification(String phoneNumber)

Usage Example

// In your Activity or Fragment
String fullNumber = countryCode + phoneNumber;
userDetailsViewModel.startPhoneVerification(fullNumber);

Verifying the OTP Code

Once the user receives the 6-digit SMS code, it must be submitted along with the verificationId received from the initial request.

Method Signature

public void verifyPhoneCode(
    String verificationId, 
    String code, 
    String userId, 
    String fullName, 
    String phoneNumber
)

Usage Example

userDetailsViewModel.verifyPhoneCode(
    currentVerificationId,
    "123456",
    firebaseUser.getUid(),
    "John Doe",
    "+11234567890"
);

Observing Verification State

The UserDetailsViewModel exposes several LiveData objects to allow the UI to react to the verification lifecycle.

Data Validation

The system enforces strict validation rules before attempting any network requests to ensure API efficiency and data integrity.

Phone Number Requirements

The application validates phone numbers using the following regex pattern: ^\+[0-9]{10,15}$

Must include a + prefix.
Must include the country code.
Must be between 10 and 15 digits in length.

OTP Requirements

The code must be exactly 6 digits.
It cannot be empty or contain non-numeric characters.

User Profile Integration

Upon successful phone verification, the user's data is updated in the Firestore users collection. The User model reflects the verification status:

// User.java relevant fields
public class User {
    private String phoneNumber;
    private boolean isPhoneVerified; // Set to true after successful OTP verification
    // ...
}

Post-Verification Navigation

The AuthUtils helper provides a checkUserDetails method to determine if a user has completed their profile (including phone verification). This is used during the splash screen or login flow to route users correctly:

AuthUtils.checkUserDetails(userId, new AuthUtils.UserDetailsCallback() {
    @Override
    public void onComplete(boolean hasDetails, String userId) {
        if (hasDetails) {
            // Navigate to Home
        } else {
            // Navigate to UserDetailsActivity to complete OTP verification
        }
    }
});