Techniques for facilitating messaging in a group-based communication system between a calling device and one or more client devices. A first user operating a calling device may send a request to a call server computing device to send a call-based communication via the group-based communication system. The call-based communication may include voice or textual data. The call server computing device may receive the call-based communication and may format the call-based communication to send to the group-based communication system. The call server may send the formatted call-based communication to the group-based communication system for presentation via the one or more client devices.

A personal safety service notifies a pre-defined group of emergency contacts about an occurrence of emergency associated with a user. To do so, a personal safety service server comprising a processing device and a memory receives an indication of the emergency and a location of the emergency from a wearable mobile device and sends a notification message via a push notification displayed on user devices of a predefined group of emergency contacts indicating the occurrence of the emergency. The personal safety service server periodically receives updates to the location of the wearable mobile device from the personal safety service client application.

Techniques are disclosed for transmitting an announcement to one or more devices. In one example, a first device receives a first message that includes an announcement, the announcement associated with a voice that spoke the announcement. The first device may determine the announcement from the first message, and then identify one or more devices for receiving the announcement. The one or more devices may have a particular device type of a plurality of different device types comprising at least a mobile device. The first device may then transmit a second message to the one or more devices for presentation of the announcement by the one or more devices.

Systems and methods for using caller data to add a phone number to an outbound-call list. In one aspect, a method involves (i) a device receiving caller data corresponding to a phone call sent by a phone switch to a phone terminal; (ii) retrieving a school record corresponding to the received caller data; (iii) making a determination that the school record is associated with a type of operational status; and (iv) responsive to making the determination that the school record is associated with the type of operational status, setting an operational mode of the phone switch, wherein in the operational mode, the phone switch refrains from sending any phone calls to the phone terminal.

Techniques are disclosed for transmitting an announcement to one or more devices. In one example, a first device receives a first message that includes an announcement, the announcement associated with a voice that spoke the announcement. The first device may determine the announcement from the first message, and then identify one or more devices for receiving the announcement. The one or more devices may have a particular device type of a plurality of different device types comprising at least a mobile device. The first device may determine a network path through which a second message is transmitted based at least in part on the location of a second device. In accordance with a determination that the second device is located within a local area network associated with a home environment, the first device transmits the second message over the local area network. In accordance with a determination that the second device is located away from a local area network associated with a home environment, the first device transmits the second message over the wide area network.

A two way messaging assembly for facilitating brief, recorded messages to be exchanged includes a pair of messaging units that is each in wireless communication with each other. Each of the messaging units is actuatable into a recording condition for recording a spoken message and each of the messaging units is actuatable into a playback condition for playing back a previously recorded spoken message. The messaging units broadcast the spoken message to each other to facilitate a pair of users to remotely communicate with each other. Each of the messaging units has an indicator to alert the user to listen to the spoken message.

A system and method for dispatching messages from a user to at least one recipient over a telecommunications network is disclosed. The system includes a messaging system and an authentication system. The messaging system receives user messages, retrieves contact information for recipients on a user's contact list, and attempts to deliver messages to recipients on the list. The system may continue attempting to deliver messages to recipients until it finds a recipient who is available to receive the message. The authentication system is used to ensure the recipient is a person and not a machine. The messages could be audio messages delivered using a telephone network or messages delivered over an SMS network.

Techniques are disclosed for transmitting an announcement to one or more devices. In one example, a first device receives a first message that includes an announcement, the announcement associated with a voice that spoke the announcement. The first device may determine the announcement from the first message, and then identify one or more devices for receiving the announcement. The one or more devices may have a particular device type of a plurality of different device types comprising at least a mobile device. The first device may then transmit a second message to the one or more devices for presentation of the announcement by the one or more devices.

This application provides a video call method and apparatus. The method includes: identifying at least one unread voice message in instant communication content during a video call; determining priority of each of the at least one unread voice message; determining, based on the priority of each unread voice message, a target voice message, where the target voice message is an unread voice message with a highest priority among the at least one unread voice message; and playing the target voice message in a target channel.

An emergency determining system configured as part of a cellular or mobile network to receive emergency data from public safety answering points and to evaluate the emergency based at least in part on third party data, network data, and the emergency data. For instance, the emergency determining system may determine a level, a geographic area, and/or a response to the emergency and to broadcast, via the cellular or mobile network, notifications to individual's personal electronic devices within the geographic area to alert the individuals to the emergency and to provide instructions related to an appropriate response by the individual.