A third-party data balance transfer system enables a user of a wireless service network to transfer a data balance to another user of the wireless service network. For example, a third-party data balance transfer system may provide an interface to receive a request from a donor to transfer a data balance to a recipient. A third-party data balance transfer system may verify that the donor is eligible to transfer a data balance, and that the recipient is eligible to receive data. The third-party data balance transfer system may forward a message to the recipient when the eligibility of the donor and recipient are verified. The message may include instructions that direct the recipient to perform certain actions to activate the transfer a data balance. The third-party data balance transfer system may detect when the recipient performs the actions, and the third-party data balance transfer system may update account records for the wireless service network to enable the recipient to access the data balance transfer.

A process for authorizing wireless service includes providing a generally rectangular flat form factor card having a first surface and opposing second surface. The process further includes providing a machine-readable activation code arranged on the first surface, wherein the machine-readable activation code is configured to authorize the wireless service when provided to a system associated with a wireless service provider, receiving the machine-readable activation code in a server, the machine-readable activation code being captured by a wireless device, and provisioning the wireless service to the wireless device from a wireless network when the machine-readable activation code is provided to the system associated with the wireless network.

The application provides a user manual callout method for a smart phone, including the following steps of: setting an application needing to be described; accumulating the usage time or usage count of each application needing to be described according to the set information; and, when the accumulated usage time or accumulated usage count of one application is lower than a set value, pushing description information of the application. The application displays a phone system manual on the left bottom of a lock screen by taking the usage time or usage count as a trigger condition, so as to make a targeted guide description for an application not familiar to or not used in a long period by a user, thereby effectively improving the degree of familiarity of the user with the functions and facilitating the user to use each function of the smart phone better.

A method may include determining a number of user devices that can access data services in a wireless network and storing information identifying the determined number of user devices for each of a number of sectors for each of a number of periods of time. The method may also include receiving a request from a first user device associated with a first user for access to data services during a first period of time, accessing the stored information to determine whether to grant the request and providing access to data services via the wireless network to the first user device. The method may further include excluding data usage by the first user device during the first period of time from being applied against a data limit associated with the user's data plan.

Shared usage plans are popular with families, friends, and small businesses. These shared usage plans share some cumulative utilization of resources, such as communications services. Even though multiple devices may share a monthly allotment of resources, an individual threshold is established for each device. The multiple individual thresholds may then be dynamically regulated to maintain the monthly allotment of resources.

Methods and apparatus to allocate bandwidth between subscribers of a communications network are disclosed. An example method to allocate bandwidth between subscribers of a communications network includes projecting that a first network data usage of a first subscriber of the network service provider will exceed a first data allotment for a first network access account of the first subscriber within a time period. The example method also includes identifying a second subscriber of the network service provider who is included in a subscriber group with the first subscriber and projected to have a second network data usage that is below a second data allotment for a second account of the second subscriber within that time period. The example method also includes requesting assent from the second subscriber to transfer a portion of the second data allotment to the first subscriber. The example method also includes, in response to receiving the assent from the second subscriber, transferring the portion of the second data allotment from the second account to the first account.

This disclosure provides systems, methods, services, and platforms for prompting a user to respond to an offer on a mobile device. The disclosure enables Mobile Network Operators to create campaigns to target customers who are nearing the limit of their data plans, voice plans, SMS plans, and MMS plans. In some embodiments, the cloud server interacts with a client application to prompt the use of a mobile device to respond to an offer send in a campaign. The disclosure also provides embodiments to check to see if the user has opted out of receiving offers, or if a device can not execute a command, or if a threshold number of offers has already been sent. This disclosure also provides embodiments for authenticating third party account log-in.

Methods and apparatus to allocate bandwidth between subscribers of a communications network are disclosed. An example method to allocate bandwidth between subscribers of a communications network includes projecting that a first network data usage of a first subscriber of the network service provider will exceed a first data allotment for a first network access account of the first subscriber within a time period. The example method also includes identifying a second subscriber of the network service provider who is included in a subscriber group with the first subscriber and projected to have a second network data usage that is below a second data allotment for a second account of the second subscriber within that time period. The example method also includes requesting assent from the second subscriber to transfer a portion of the second data allotment to the first subscriber. The example method also includes, in response to receiving the assent from the second subscriber, transferring the portion of the second data allotment from the second account to the first account.

A method, computer program product, and apparatus are disclosed. The method includes determining whether a shared balance threshold has been breached, and notifying a member of a sharing group, in response to a determination that the balance threshold has been breached. The shared balance threshold is for the sharing group, which includes a number of members.

Network status information is provided to a mobile device. The data usage of the mobile device is tracked. A data usage criterion is determined from an account for the mobile device. The account information is stored on at least one server. The data usage is compared with the data usage criterion. Based on the comparison, it is determined whether the data usage meets the data usage criterion. Upon determining that the data usage meets the data usage criterion, a notification message is sent to the mobile device in real time through an information element field within an existing message in a bearer channel of the wireless packet data communication network. The notification message may instruct the mobile device to prevent generation and/or transmission of automatic network access requests while allowing user-initiated network access requests.