Abstract: A digital assistant operating on a device is configured to be engaged as an active participant in communications between local and remote parties by listening to voice and video calls and participating in messaging sessions. The digital assistant typically can be initiated by voice using a key word or phrase and then be requested to perform tasks, provide information and services, etc. using voice or gestures. The digital assistant can respond to the request and take appropriate actions. In voice and video calls, the interactions with the digital assistant (i.e., the request, response, and actions) can be heard by both parties to the call as if the digital assistant was a third party on the call. In a messaging session, messages are generated and displayed to each participant so that they can see the interactions with the digital assistant as if it was a participant.

Abstract: A real-time sharing component operating on a computing device such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer (PC) is configured to enable a local sharing party to share content with a remote party during a phone call. The real-time sharing component exposes tools, controls, and functions that enable the shared content to be a curated experience in which content available to the sharing party can be selected and shared with the remote party with voice narration while controlling the pacing of the sharing, maintaining privacy so that only intentionally shared content can be seen by the remote party but not other content, and controlling how and when shared content can be saved by the remote party, and enabling the shared content to be zoomed and panned and be highlighted with graphics and/or annotated with text.

Abstract: Signaling from a mobile device is transparently tunneled through a cellular voice network to a Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) core network so that multi-party calls, including conference calls and call waiting, can be managed entirely within the VoIP core network. The tunneled signals enable call control to be implemented in the VoIP core network and also establish a way to communicate requests, instructions, and call state. The signaling is transparent to the cellular network because that network does not receive and interpret the signaling. Instead, the cellular network's existing and unmodified control plane is repurposed by the mobile device by placing new, brief outgoing calls through the cellular network to the VoIP core network where the called party number (i.e., the caller-ID) encodes specific information. The VoIP core network immediately releases the new cellular call once the caller-ID is received and the encoded information is interpreted.

Abstract: A digital assistant operating on a device is configured to be engaged as an active participant in communications between local and remote parties by listening to voice and video calls and participating in messaging sessions. The digital assistant typically can be initiated by voice using a key word or phrase and then be requested to perform tasks, provide information and services, etc. using voice or gestures. The digital assistant can respond to the request and take appropriate actions. In voice and video calls, the interactions with the digital assistant (i.e., the request, response, and actions) can be heard by both parties to the call as if the digital assistant was a third party on the call. In a messaging session, messages are generated and displayed to each participant so that they can see the interactions with the digital assistant as if it was a participant.

Abstract: A digital assistant operating on a device is configured to be engaged as an active participant in communications between local and remote parties by listening to voice and video calls and participating in messaging sessions. The digital assistant typically can be initiated by voice using a key word or phrase and then be requested to perform tasks, provide information and services, etc. using voice or gestures. The digital assistant can respond to the request and take appropriate actions. In voice and video calls, the interactions with the digital assistant (i.e., the request, response, and actions) can be heard by both parties to the call as if the digital assistant was a third party on the call. In a messaging session, messages are generated and displayed to each participant so that they can see the interactions with the digital assistant as if it was a participant.

Abstract: A souvenir is provided to enable participants in a real-time sharing session to retain access to the shared content and experiences when the real-time sharing is completed in a fully actionable manner in which all of the functionality and interactivity of the content and experiences are maintained as when they were originally shared. Each of the sharing participants can get a souvenir that can be used to initiate access to the shared content such as a photo or replay an experience such as a telling of a bedtime story. In cases where user generated content (UGC) such as mark-ups, annotations, commentary, content links, highlights, animations, graphics, drawings, directions, points-of-interest, etc., were part of the real-time sharing session—for example, an annotated webpage, a marked-up map, voice commentary over a video recording of a live event, etc.—such UGC can be maintained as part of the post-sharing actionable souvenir experience too.

Abstract: A location sharing component operating on a mobile computing device is configured to enable a local party and a remote party to share each other's locations during a phone call to facilitate a physical meet-up. The location sharing component exposes various options to set a length of time for the location sharing or the location can be shared up until the meet-up occurs. User interfaces (UIs) exposed by the location sharing component can provide directions and dynamically updated maps which show the locations of the parties. The location sharing experience can be persisted after the phone call ends by showing updates to the directions and maps and by surfacing notifications when the parties are close so that they can start looking for each other. The location sharing time interval can be extended if it is due to expire before the meet-up occurs.

Abstract: A real-time sharing component operating on a computing device such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer (PC) is configured to enable a local sharing party to share content with a remote party during a phone call. The real-time sharing component exposes tools, controls, and functions that enable the shared content to be a curated experience in which content available to the sharing party can be selected and shared with the remote party with voice narration while controlling the pacing of the sharing, maintaining privacy so that only intentionally shared content can be seen by the remote party but not other content, and controlling how and when shared content can be saved by the remote party, and enabling the shared content to be zoomed and panned and be highlighted with graphics and/or annotated with text.

Abstract: A digital assistant operating on a device is configured to be engaged as an active participant in communications between local and remote parties by listening to voice and video calls and participating in messaging sessions. The digital assistant typically can be initiated by voice using a key word or phrase and then be requested to perform tasks, provide information and services, etc. using voice or gestures. The digital assistant can respond to the request and take appropriate actions. In voice and video calls, the interactions with the digital assistant (i.e., the request, response, and actions) can be heard by both parties to the call as if the digital assistant was a third party on the call. In a messaging session, messages are generated and displayed to each participant so that they can see the interactions with the digital assistant as if it was a participant.

Abstract: Signaling from a mobile device is transparently tunneled through a cellular voice network to a Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) core network so that multi-party calls, including conference calls and call waiting, can be managed entirely within the VoIP core network. The tunneled signals enable call control to be implemented in the VoIP core network and also establish a way to communicate requests, instructions, and call state. The signaling is transparent to the cellular network because that network does not receive and interpret the signaling. Instead, the cellular network's existing and unmodified control plane is repurposed by the mobile device by placing new, brief outgoing calls through the cellular network to the VoIP core network where the called party number (i.e., the caller-ID) encodes specific information. The VoIP core network immediately releases the new cellular call once the caller-ID is received and the encoded information is interpreted.