Abstract: Techniques are presented for managing for visual prominence of participants in a video conference, including conferences where participants communicate visually, such as with sign language. According to these techniques, a visual prominence indication of a participant in a video conference may be estimated, a video stream of the participant may be encoded, and the encoded video stream may be transmitted along with an indication of the estimated visual prominence to a receiving device in the video conference.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to multiway communications. In some embodiments, a first electronic device initiates a multiway call between a plurality of electronic devices and exchanges a first secret with a first set of electronic devices participating during a first portion of the multiway call, the first secret being used to encrypt traffic between the first set of electronic devices. The first electronic device receives an indication that first set of participating electronic devices has changed and, in response to the indication, exchanges a second secret with a second set of electronic devices participating during a second portion of the multiway call, the second secret being used to encrypt traffic between the second set of participating electronic devices. In some embodiments, the indication identifies a second electronic device as leaving the multiway call, and the second secret is not exchanged with the second electronic device.

Abstract: The subject technology provides a messaging application in which an image can be captured and supplemented with supplemental content such as stickers, animations, etc., from within an active messaging thread. In this manner, a user participating in a messaging conversation with a remote user can add stickers, animations, and/or adaptive content to an image captured by the user, without having to locally cache/store the captured image before editing and without having to leave the messaging conversion (or the messaging application) to access an image editing application.

Abstract: Techniques to use an embedded passcode within an audio ringtone to establish a secure connection for arbitrary phone relay are described. The use of an embedded passcode enables encrypted ad-hoc connections for the relay of audio of an incoming telephone call to a secondary device, such as a virtual assistant enabled smart speaker device.

Abstract: The subject technology provides a messaging application in which an image can be captured and supplemented with supplemental content such as stickers, animations, etc., from within an active messaging thread. In this manner, a user participating in a messaging conversation with a remote user can add stickers, animations, and/or adaptive content to an image captured by the user, without having to locally cache/store the captured image before editing and without having to leave the messaging conversion (or the messaging application) to access an image editing application.

Abstract: A device implementing the subject technology may include at least one processor configured to receive an indication of a task being performed at an other device. The at least one processor is further configured to perform, in response to receipt of the indication, one or more preliminary operations in anticipation of receiving a handoff of the task. The at least one processor is further configured to receive, after performing the one or more preliminary operations, a notification that the task is being handed off. The at least one processor is further configured to receive the handoff of the task from the other device. The at least one processor is further configured to continue to perform the task based at least in part on the one or more preliminary operations that were performed prior to receiving the notification that the task is being handed off.

Abstract: A device implementing dynamic redundancy may include at least one processor configured to receive, from another device, packet reception data corresponding to video data previously provided for transmission from the device to the other device and determine, based at least in part on the packet reception data, an amount of redundancy to apply to video data provided for transmission to the other device. The at least one processor may be further configured to determine, based at least in part on the amount of redundancy, an encoding scheme for applying the redundancy to the video data. The at least one processor may be further configured to apply the amount of redundancy to the video data based at least in part on the encoding scheme to generate redundant data items and provide the video data and the redundant data items for transmission to the other device.

Abstract: A device implementing a system for packet loss management may include a memory and at least one processor configured to identify a plurality of categories of packets provided for transmission to an electronic device. The at least one processor may be further configured to determine a respective packet loss value for a respective category of the plurality of categories of packets. The at least one processor may be further configured to identify a particular category of the plurality of categories of packets for which the determined respective packet loss value satisfies a packet loss condition. The at least one processor may be further configured to adjust subsequent transmission of packets in the particular category of packets based at least in part on the packet loss condition being satisfied by the determined respective packet loss value for the particular category of packets.

Abstract: A device implementing a system for multipath connection management may include first and second local communication interfaces, and a processor configured to establish a primary connection for communicating between the first local communication interface and a first remote communication interface of an other device, and a secondary connection for communicating between the second local communication interface and a second remote communication interface. The processor may be configured to transmit application and control data over the primary connection and concurrently transmit a copy of control data over the secondary connection. The processor may be configured to determine that a degradation of the quality of the primary connection is attributable to the other device. The processor may be configured to switch the secondary connection to the first local communication interface and the second remote communication interface.

Abstract: A device implementing a system for audio-video conferencing using multiple stream identifiers includes a processor configured to receive, from a sending device, indication of a first content stream and a first stream identifier, and indication of a second content stream and a second stream identifier associated. The first content stream and the second content stream correspond to different bit rates of streaming content. The processor is configured to receive, from a receiving device, a request to subscribe to the second content stream, the request including the second stream identifier, and receive, from the sending device, an indication that the second stream identifier has been associated with the first content stream. The processor is configured to forward, to the receiving device, the first content stream based on the request to subscribe to the second content stream and on the indication that the second stream identifier has been associated with the first content stream.

Abstract: A device implementing the subject technology may include at least one processor configured to receive a plurality of buffer reports from a plurality of other devices, each of the plurality of buffer reports indicating a current target buffer level for a respective one of the plurality of other devices. The at least one processor may be further configured to determine a group target buffer level based at least in part on the current target buffer levels of the plurality of other devices and a current target buffer level of the at least one buffer. The at least one processor may be further configured to transmit the group target buffer level to the plurality of other devices. The at least one processor may be further configured to manage an occupancy of the at least one buffer based at least in part on the group target buffer level.

Abstract: A client device may be used to initiate or answer calls using a host device connected to a network. For example, when a phone operating as a host device receives an incoming call from a network, the phone may communicate the presence of the incoming call to one or more client devices such as laptop, desktop, tablet, or wearable devices that are associated with the host device. When an answer call selection is made at a client, a call answered communication may be sent from the client device to the host device. The host device may then communicate with the network to connect the call to the host, and when the call is connected, the host may hand-off the call to the client that sent the call answered communication.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to manage communication sessions to handover between a direct connection at a secondary wireless device and a relayed connection to the secondary wireless device via a primary wireless device. A connection manager of a secondary wireless device can trigger transfer of a communication session based on measurements of performance metrics for the communication session. Upon detection of performance degradation in a local connection or a backhaul connection or both, the connection manager of the secondary wireless device can determine proximity of and/or capabilities for connections of the primary wireless device and instigate transfer of the communication session between different connection types, such as between a direct connection and a relayed connection. The transfer of the communication session can occur without user intervention or in response to input from the user without interrupting or reestablishing the communication session.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for coding video data in which frames from a video source are partitioned into a plurality of tiles of common size, and the tiles are coded as a virtual video sequence according to motion-compensated prediction, each tile treated as having respective temporal location of the virtual video sequence. The coding scheme permits relative allocation of coding resources to tiles that are likely to have greater significance in a video coding session, which may lead to certain tiles that have low complexity or low motion content to be skipped during coding of the tiles for select source frames. Moreover, coding of the tiles may be ordered to achieve low coding latencies during a coding session.

Abstract: Techniques are presented for managing for visual prominence of participants in a video conference, including conferences where participants communicate visually, such as with sign language. According to these techniques, a visual prominence indication of a participant in a video conference may be estimated, a video stream of the participant may be encoded, and the encoded video stream may be transmitted along with an indication of the estimated visual prominence to a receiving device in the video conference.

Abstract: A device providing inter-device call continuity facilitated by a wireless audio output device may include a processor configured to initiate, over a peer-to-peer connection with a second device, a communication session between the second device and a third device. The processor may be further configured to establish, over the peer-to-peer connection with the second device, an audio link corresponding to the communication session. The processor may be further configured to determine, based at least in part on the audio link, that a connection quality of the peer-to-peer connection satisfies a connection degradation condition. The processor may be further configured to request, over a wide area network connection, for the communication session with the third device to be handed-off from the second device to the first device, and to establish, over the wide area network connection, the communication session with the third device.

Abstract: Techniques to use an embedded passcode within an audio ringtone to establish a secure connection for arbitrary phone relay are described. The use of an embedded passcode enables encrypted ad-hoc connections for the relay of audio of an incoming telephone call to a secondary device, such as a virtual assistant enabled smart speaker device.

Abstract: The subject technology provides a video conferencing application in which a live incoming or outgoing video stream can be supplemented with supplemental content, such as stickers, animations, etc., from within the video conferencing application. In this manner, a user participating in a video conferencing session with a remote user can add stickers, animations, and/or adaptive content to an outgoing video stream being captured by the device of the user, or to an incoming video stream from the device of the remote user, without having to locally cache/store a video clip before editing, and without having to leave the video conferencing session (or the video conferencing application) to access a video editing application.

Abstract: The subject technology provides a video conferencing application in which a live incoming or outgoing video stream can be supplemented with supplemental content, such as stickers, animations, etc., from within the video conferencing application. In this manner, a user participating in a video conferencing session with a remote user can add stickers, animations, and/or adaptive content to an outgoing video stream being captured by the device of the user, or to an incoming video stream from the device of the remote user, without having to locally cache/store a video clip before editing, and without having to leave the video conferencing session (or the video conferencing application) to access a video editing application.

Abstract: A first request to form a conference call is received from a first of a plurality of electronic devices. In response to the first request, a conference data structure is generated in a memory. Based on determining the conference call has ended, a second request is transmitted to each of the plurality of electronic devices to return a high-resolution video stream generated by each electronic device during the conference call. In response to the second requests, the high-resolution video stream is received from at least some of the plurality of electronic devices. Each of the received high-resolution video streams is stored in the conference data structure in the memory to generate a completed conference data structure. A notice that the completed conference data structure is available is transmitted to each of the plurality of electronic devices.