A calling method for use in a terminal configured to communicate with a device, includes: establishing a data channel with the device for assisting a call, when the terminal is conducting the call with the device through a voice channel; and exchanging interaction information with the device through the data channel, the interaction information being configured to assist a first user of the terminal and a second user of the device in coordinating and interacting when conducting the call.

Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for automatic volume control of an audio stream reproduced by a captioning communication service for use by a call assistant in generating a text transcription of a communication session between a hearing-impaired user and a far-end user. The automatic volume control automatically adjusts a volume of the audio stream reproduced by the captioning communication service responsive to a volume control command identifying which of the far-end voice signal and the near-end voice signal is active at a given time. The system further includes an echo modifier configured to add distortion to an echo portion of the far-end voice signal when generating the audio stream.

Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for automatic volume control of an audio stream reproduced by a captioning communication service for use by a call assistant in generating a text transcription of a communication session between a hearing-impaired user and a far-end user. The automatic volume control automatically adjusts a volume of the audio stream reproduced by the captioning communication service responsive to a volume control command identifying which of the far-end voice signal and the near-end voice signal is active at a given time. The system further includes an echo modifier configured to add distortion to an echo portion of the far-end voice signal when generating the audio stream.

An Intelligent Independent Call Server (IICS) is coupled to communication equipment of a network that signals the IICS of an established telephone call during which the IICS provides additional features to communication equipment of parties to the established telephone who are subscribers to the services being provided by the IICS. The services being provided by the IICS comprise various telephone call features that can be requested by parties to the established telephone call who have subscribed to such features. Subscriber parties to the telephone call request for specific features during the telephone call by dialing, on their communication devices, certain IICS defined sequences of DTMF keys which when recognized by the IICS causes it to execute the corresponding feature.