WO2025023922A1

WO2025023922A1 - Activating a communication mode via a voice call and tone signal to receive data wirelessly

Info

Publication number: WO2025023922A1
Application number: PCT/US2023/028375
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ashwin PANDITH; Sharath Ananth
Original assignee: Google LLC
Current assignee: Google LLC
Priority date: 2023-07-21
Filing date: 2023-07-21
Publication date: 2025-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2026-01-21

Abstract

A computing device includes at least one memory to store a predetermined phone number, a predetermined tone, and instructions, and at least one processor to execute the instructions stored in the at least one memory to: when the computing device is in a first communication mode and the computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data, receive a voice call which includes a tone signal, determine whether the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number stored in the at least one memory, in response to determining the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number, attempt authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call based on the predetermined tone stored in the at least one memory, and in response to successfully authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call, activate a second communication mode to enable the computing device to receive wireless mobile data.

Description

ACTIVATING A COMMUNICATION MODE VIA A VOICE CALL AND TONE

SIGNAL TO RECEIVE DATA WIRELESSLY

FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates generally to computing devices and server computing systems. More particularly, the disclosure relates to wearable computing devices which can connect to a network via long-term evolution (LTE) technology.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Computing devices can operate in different communication modes. For example, in some communication modes the computing device may be able to make phone calls and exchange data over a wireless (cellular) communication network. In other communication modes the computing device may have limited functionality and may not be able to exchange data over the wireless (cellular) communication network.

SUMMARY

[0004] Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the following description, or can be learned from the description, or can be learned through practice of the example embodiments.

[0005] In an example embodiment, a computing device (e.g., a biometric computing device, a smartwatch, a tracker, wearable jewelry, for example, having long-term evolution (LTE) capabilities, and the like) is provided. The computing device includes at least one memory, the at least one memory storing a predetermined phone number, a predetermined tone, and instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the at least one memory to: when the computing device is in a first communication mode and the computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data, receive a voice call which includes a tone signal, determine whether the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number stored in the at least one memory, in response to determining the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number, attempt authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call based on the predetermined tone stored in the at least one memory, and in response to successfully authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call, activate a second communication mode to enable the computing device to receive wireless mobile data.

[0006] In some implementations, the voice call is a voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) voice call received via a voice channel. [0007] In some implementations, the first communication mode is a long-term evolution (LTE) mode in which mobile wireless data is turned off and the second communication mode being a LTE mobile data mode in which mobile wireless data is turned on.

[0008] In some implementations, when the computing device is in the first communication mode the computing device is not tethered to another computing device via a Wi-Fi connection or a Bluetooth connection.

[0009] In some implementations, the wireless mobile data includes a text message from an external computing device.

[0010] In some implementations, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a further tone signal, determine the further tone signal is associated with a further predetermined tone stored in the at least one memory, the further predetermined tone being associated with an application of the computing device, and in response to activating the second communication mode and determining the further tone signal is associated with the further predetermined tone, activate the application of the computing device.

[0011] In some implementations, the at least one processor is further configured to receive, from a server computing system, the predetermined phone number and the predetermined tone, at a predetermined time.

[0012] In some implementations, the at least one processor is further configured to receive, from the server computing system, an updated predetermined phone number to replace the stored predetermined phone number and to receive, from the server computing system, an updated predetermined tone to replace the predetermined tone.

[0013] In some implementations, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, from the server computing system, the updated predetermined phone number to replace the stored predetermined phone number, at a predetermined time interval from the predetermined time, and receive, from the server computing system, the updated predetermined tone to replace the predetermined tone, at the predetermined time interval from the predetermined time.

[0014] In some implementations, the at least one processor is further configured to return the computing device to the first communication mode a predetermined amount of time after activating the second communication mode.

[0015] In some implementations, the computing device is a smartwatch or a tracker.

[0016] In some implementations, the predetermined tone corresponds to an audio signature.

[0017] In some implementations, the predetermined tone corresponds to a voice recording.

[0018] In some implementations, the at least one memory stores a plurality of predetermined tones including a first predetermined tone and a second predetermined tone, and the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a plurality of tone signals including a first tone signal and a second tone signal, subsequent to activating the second communication mode, activate a first application of the computing device when the first tone signal corresponds to the first predetermined tone, and subsequent to activating the second communication mode, activate a second application of the computing device when the second tone signal corresponds to the second predetermined tone.

[0019] In some implementations, the computing device further includes a communication interface configured to receive wireless mobile data and to transmit wireless mobile data; and a battery configured to supply power to the communication interface, the battery supplying more power to the communication interface when the computing device is in the second communication mode than when the computing device is in the first communication mode.

[0020] In an example embodiment, a computer-implemented method for a computing device is provided. The computer-implemented method includes: when the computing device is in a first communication mode and the computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data, receiving a voice call which includes a tone signal, determining whether the voice call is received from a predetermined phone number stored in at least one memory, in response to determining the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number, attempt authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call based on a predetermined tone stored in the at least one memory, and in response to successfully authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call, activating a second communication mode to enable the computing device to receive wireless mobile data.

[0021] The computer-implemented method for the computing device may include further operations to execute other aspects and operations of the computing device as described herein.

[0022] In an example embodiment, a server computing system is provided. The server computing system includes at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the at least one memory to: receive data from a first computing device to be transmitted to a second computing device while the second computing device is in a first communication mode and the second computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data, in response to receiving the data, connect to the second computing device via a voice call from a predetermined phone number, cause a predetermined tone signal to be played during the voice call to attempt to authenticate the voice call and cause the second computing device to activate a second communication mode to enable the second computing device to receive wireless mobile data, and transmit the data to the second computing device.

[0023] In some implementations, the voice call is a voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) voice call via a voice channel, the first communication mode being a long-term evolution (LTE) mode in which mobile wireless data is turned off, and the second communication mode being a LTE mobile data mode in which mobile wireless data is turned on.

[0024] In some implementations, the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, to the second computing device, the predetermined phone number and the predetermined tone signal, at a predetermined time before the data is received from the first computing device.

[0025] In some implementations, the at least one processor is configured to transmit, to the second computing device, an updated predetermined phone number to replace the predetermined phone number and to transmit, to the second computing device, an updated predetermined tone signal to replace the predetermined tone signal (e.g., at a predetermined time interval from the predetermined time).

[0026] In some implementations, the at least one processor is configured to: cause at least one of a plurality of predetermined application tone signals to be played during the voice call, the plurality of predetermined application tone signals including: a first predetermined application tone signal that, when recognized by the second computing device, causes a first application provided at the second computing device to be activated, and a second predetermined application tone signal that, when recognized by the second computing device, causes a second application provided at the second computing device to be activated. [0027] In some implementations, the at least one processor is configured to transmit the data to the second computing device in response to the second computing device activating the second communication mode.

[0028] In an example embodiment, a computer-implemented method for a server computing system is provided. The computer-implemented method includes: receiving data from a first computing device to be transmitted to a second computing device while the second computing device is in a first communication mode and the second computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data; in response to receiving the data, connecting to the second computing device via a voice call from a predetermined phone number; causing a predetermined tone signal to be played during the voice call to attempt to authenticate the voice call and causing the second computing device to activate a second communication mode to enable the second computing device to receive wireless mobile data: and transmitting the data to the second computing device.

[0029] The computer-implemented method for the server computing system may include further operations to execute other aspects and operations of the computing device as described herein.

[0030] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores instructions that are executable by at least one processor of a computing device is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium stores a predetermined phone number, a predetermined tone, and instructions which are executable by at least one processor of the computing device. The instructions include: instructions to cause the at least one processor to: when the computing device is in a first communication mode and the computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data, receive a voice call which includes a tone signal; determine whether the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number; in response to determining the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number, attempt authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call based on the predetermined tone; and in response to successfully authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call, activate a second communication mode to enable the computing device to receive wireless mobile data

[0031] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores instructions that are executable by at least one processor of a server computing system is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions which are executable by at least one processor of the server computing system. The instructions include: instructions to cause the at least one processor to: receive data from a first computing device to be transmitted to a second computing device while the second computing device is in a first communication mode and the second computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data; in response to receiving the data, connect to the second computing device via a voice call from a predetermined phone number; cause a predetermined tone signal to be played during the voice call to attempt to authenticate the voice call and cause the second computing device to activate a second communication mode to enable the second computing device to receive wireless mobile data; and transmit the data to the second computing device. [0032] In some implementations, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store additional instructions to execute other aspects and operations of the computing device, the server computing system, and computer-implemented methods as described herein.

[0033] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of various embodiments of the disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following description, drawings, and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate examples of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the related principles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Detailed discussion of example embodiments directed to one of ordinary skill in the art is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0035] FIG. 1 A is an example system including block diagrams of a computing device, a server computing system, and an external computing device, according to one or more examples of the disclosure;

[0036] FIG. IB is an example block diagram of a communication mode activation application of a user computing device, according to one or more examples of the disclosure; [0037] FIG. 1C is an example block diagram of a communication mode activation application of a server computing system, according to one or more examples of the disclosure;

[0038] FIGS. 2A-2B are example graphical representations of predetermined tones, according to one or more examples of the disclosure;

[0039] FIGS. 3A-3C are example illustrations of predetermined phone numbers, predetermined tones, and associated applications, according to one or more examples of the disclosure;

[0040] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting computer-implemented method according to one or more examples of the disclosure; and

[0041] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting computer-implemented method according to one or more examples of the disclosure; and

[0042] FIGS. 6A-6B are example flow diagrams, according to one or more examples of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0043] Reference now will be made to embodiments of the disclosure, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the disclosure. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the disclosure covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0044] Terms used herein are used to describe the example embodiments and are not intended to limit and / or restrict the disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, terms such as "including", "having", “comprising”, and the like are used to specify features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more of the features, elements, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0045] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, the elements are not limited by these terms.

Instead, these terms are used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, a first element may be termed as a second element, and a second element may be termed as a first element.

[0046] The term "and / or" includes a combination of a plurality of related listed items or any item of the plurality of related listed items. For example, the scope of the expression or phrase "A and/or B" includes the item "A", the item "B", and the combination of items "A and B”.

[0047] In addition, the scope of the expression or phrase "at least one of A or B" is intended to include all of the following: (1) at least one of A, (2) at least one of B, and (3) at least one of A and at least one of B. Likewise, the scope of the expression or phrase "at least one of A, B, or C" is intended to include all of the following: (1) at least one of A, (2) at least one of B, (3) at least one of C, (4) at least one of A and at least one of B, (5) at least one of A and at least one of C, (6) at least one of B and at least one of C, and (7) at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C. [0048] Example aspects of the disclosure are directed to a computing device, for example, a wearable computing device such as a smartwatch, fitness tracker, earbuds, and the like, which can connect to a network via long-term evolution (LTE) technology.

[0049] According to example embodiments of the disclosure, the computing device can operate in different communication modes, for example to save computing resources such as battery usage. For example, the computing device may operate in a first communication mode where the computing device is not tethered to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. That is, the computing device is not connected to another device via a Bluetooth connection for receiving data wirelessly and the computing device is not connected to a Wi-Fi network for receiving data. Further, in the first communication mode, the computing device does not have an active sync with a backend server computing system and is disabled from receiving data wirelessly, for example, via a LTE network. In this context, being disabled from receiving data wirelessly via a LTE network refers to not being able to receive data other than voice data (e.g., voice packets which are transmitted via separate bearer packets than mobile data, for example, via a voice channel). Thus, in the first communication mode the computing device is disabled from receiving data (data packets) including, for example, internet data, multimedia data including images, videos, files, text messages, etc. via separate bearer packets than bearer packets used for voice data, for example, via a data channel which is separate from the voice channel. Likewise, in the first communication mode the computing device is disabled from transmitting data (data packets) including, for example, internet data, multimedia data including images, videos, files, text messages, etc. via separate bearer packets than bearer packets used for voice data, for example, via a data channel which is separate from the voice channel. Accordingly, when the computing device switches off mobile data, data packets get blocked, but voice packets can still be transferred. The computing device may operate in the first communication mode when a user associated with the computing device is sleeping or when a user associated with the computing device does not want to be disturbed (e g., the user is attending school, a meeting, etc ).

[0050] As another example, the computing device may operate in a second communication mode where the computing device can receive data wirelessly through a LTE network for datatransfer/exchange. Thus, in the second communication mode, which may be referred to as a LTE mobile data mode, the computing device is enabled to receive data wirelessly. Accordingly, when the computing device switches on mobile data, data packets and voice packets can be transferred (e g., via their respective bearer packets and respective data and voice channels).

[0051] In a circumstance where the computing device operates in the first communication mode, an entity may wish to send mobile data to the computing device. For example, the entity may wish to send a text message to the computing device or may wish to locate the computing device via an application provided at the computing device which provides location information about the computing device. However, as the computing device is unable to receive data while operating in the first communication mode the computing device may not receive such data. Current computing devices and platforms do not provide a method for indicating to the computing device to enable the second communication mode in such circumstances.

[0052] According to example embodiments of the disclosure, a voice call (e g , a voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) voice call) may be utilized to remotely activate the second communication mode at the computing device so that the computing device can receive mobile data from another computing device.

[0053] As an example, a first computing device may wish to send data (e.g., a text message) to a second computing device in a circumstance where the second computing device is operating in the first communication mode. A server computing system may serve as an intermediary computing system which receives the data from the first computing device and processes the data (e.g., by verifying the sender's credentials, checking for recipient availability, and preparing the data for delivery to the second computing device), before transmitting the data to the second computing device. In some implementations, the server computing system may recognize or determine that the second computing device is operating in the first communication mode and is unable to receive the data. In response, the server computing system may be configured to connect to the second computing device via the VoLTE voice call from a predetermined phone number. The predetermined phone number may be prestored at the second computing device. When the second computing device receives a VoLTE voice call from a phone number which matches the predetermined phone number, the second computing device may be configured to attempt to authenticate the VoLTE voice call and activate the second communication mode if the authentication is successful. For example, the second computing device may authenticate the VoLTE voice call by comparing a tone signal which is played by the server computing system during the voice call with a predetermined tone stored at the second computing device. If the tone signal matches the predetermined tone, the second computing device may activate the second communication mode so that the second computing device is capable of receiving the data wirelessly from the server computing system. If the tone signal does not match the predetermined tone, the second computing device may keep the second computing device in the first communication mode.

[0054] In some implementations, the predetermined phone number may be associated with a phone number of a contact (e.g., a family member such as a parent) of the user associated with the computing device.

[0055] In some implementations, the predetermined tone may be in the form of an audio signature, a secret audio tune, a voice recording, a control tone (e.g., a dual tone multifrequency tone), and the like.

[0056] In some implementations, the computing device may store a plurality of predetermined phone numbers, each of which may respectively be associated with activating the second communication mode and/or with activating or implementing a function of a respective application provided at the computing device. For example, a first predetermined phone number may be associated with activating the second communication mode and be associated with activating a text messaging application which receives a text message from an external computing device via the server computing system after the second communication mode is activated. For example, a second predetermined phone number may be associated with activating the second communication mode and be associated with activating a device location application which receives a location request from an external computing device via the server computing system after the second communication mode is activated and transmits data to the external computing device indicating the location of the computing device.

[0057] In some implementations, the computing device may store a plurality of predetermined tones, each of which may respectively be associated with activating the second communication mode or with activating or implementing a function of a respective application provided at the computing device. For example, a first predetermined tone may be associated with activating the second communication mode and be associated with activating a text messaging application which receives a text message from an external computing device via the server computing system after the second communication mode is activated. For example, a second predetermined tone may be associated with activating the second communication mode and be associated with activating a device location application which receives a location request from an external computing device via the server computing system after the second communication mode is activated and transmits data to the external computing device indicating the location of the computing device.

[0058] In some implementations, the computing device may be configured to periodically receive a different or updated predetermined phone number from the server computing system. Changing the predetermined phone number can reduce the risk of an entity spoofing the phone number and attempting to access the computing device for illegitimate or improper purposes. The computing device can delete older, outdated predetermined phone numbers to save computing resources, in response to receiving the updated predetermined phone number(s). For example, the computing device may receive updated predetermined phone number(s) on a daily basis, weekly basis, monthly basis, etc.

[0059] In some implementations, the computing device may be configured to periodically receive a different or updated predetermined tones from the server computing system. Changing the predetermined tones can reduce the risk of an entity gaining access to the computing device for illegitimate or improper purposes. The computing device can delete older, outdated predetermined tones to save computing resources, in response to receiving the updated predetermined tones. For example, the computing device may receive updated predetermined tones on a daily basis, weekly basis, monthly basis, etc.

[0060] In some implementations, the reception of the voice call by the computing device from the server computing system is transparent to a user associated with the computing device, such that the user is unaware of the computing device receiving the voice call or changing communication modes. For example, the predetermined phone number may not be displayed on a display screen of the computing device, the computing device will not ring or vibrate, etc. This may improve the user experience by not disturbing the user and can avoid possible confusion on the part of the user. In addition, computing resources may be saved or conserved by not activating the display, ringer, haptic devices, etc., of the computing device.

[0061] In other implementations, the user may be notified that the voice call is received from the server computing system. For example, the predetermined phone number may be displayed on the display screen of the computing device, the computing device may ring or vibrate, etc.

[0062] In some implementations, the computing device may be configured to switch back (e.g., automatically switch back) from the second communication mode to the first communication mode. For example, the computing device may be configured to switch back (e.g., automatically switch back) from the second communication mode to the first communication mode after a predetermined amount of time (e.g., after 30 seconds). For example, the computing device may be configured to switch back (e.g., automatically switch back) from the second communication mode to the first communication mode after a data exchange/transfer event (e g., after receiving data sent from the server computing system or after transmitting requested data to the server computing system). Switching back to the first communication mode conserves computing resources of the computing device (e g., battery usage) as the second communication mode consumes more computing resources than the first communication mode.

[0063] Example aspects of the disclosure provide several technical effects, benefits, and/or improvements in computing technology and the technology of computing devices including wearable computing devices. For example, according to one or more examples of the disclosure, a communication mode of a computing device can be remotely changed so that the computing device can receive or transmit data. Therefore, implementation of the disclosed method enables the computing device to receive data and provide data that previously the computing device would not be able to receive or provide.

[0064] Furthermore, according to one or more examples of the disclosure, security of the computing device can be maintained or enhanced while allowing a remote device (e.g., a server computing system) to cause the computing device to change communication modes such that the computing device is able to receive or transmit data. For example, in addition to utilizing a predetermined phone number to make a voice call to the computing device, predetermined tones may be utilized as an extra layer of security during a voice call to authenticate the voice call before activating the second communication mode. For example, the computing device may periodically receive updated predetermined phone numbers and/or updated predetermined tones to store at the computing device. Utilizing updated predetermined phone numbers and/or updated predetermined tones can increase security in the case that predetermined phone numbers or predetermined tones are obtained by unauthorized entities.

[0065] For example, according to one or more examples of the disclosure, additional aspects described herein may conserve computing resources (e.g., processing resources, battery resources, etc.) of the computing device. For example, computing resources may be saved or conserved by not activating the display, ringer, haptic devices, etc., of the computing device when a voice call is received from the server computing system. For example, the computing device conserves computing resources (e.g., processing resources, battery resources, etc.) by switching back from the second communication mode to the first communication mode after receiving or transmitting data as needed, after implementing some function of an application as requested, etc.

[0066] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 A illustrates an example sy stem including block diagrams of a computing device, a server computing system, and an external computing device, according to one or more examples of the disclosure.

[0067] In FIG. 1A, the example system 1000 includes a user computing device 1100, a server computing system 1300, and an external computing device 1400. For example, the user computing device 1100, server computing system 1300, and external computing device 1400 may be connected with one another over a network 1200. Any communications interfaces suitable for communicating via the network 1200 (such as a network interface card) may be utilized as appropriate or desired by the user computing device 1100, server computing system 1300, and external computing device 1400.

[0068] The user computing device 1100 may include wearable computing devices (e.g., a smartwatch, a tracker, earbuds, jewelry, and the like). For example, the wearable computing device may be capable of measuring biometric information of a user associated with the wearable computing device. As another example, the computing device may include a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, etc. In example embodiments described herein, the user computing device 1100 may be any computing device that can connect to a network wirelessly, for example, a cellular network utilizing long term evolution (LTE) technology. In some implementations, the user computing device 1100 may be any computing device that can connect to a network wirelessly, for example, a cellular network utilizing long term evolution (LTE) technology, supports voice over LTE (VoLTE), and does not have support for circuit switch fallback to 2G/3G or radio access technology (RAT) fallback.

[0069] The server computing system 1300 may include a server, or a combination of servers (e.g., a web server, application server, etc.) in communication with one another, for example in a distributed fashion. The external computing device 1400 may include any computing device including a personal computer, a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet computer, a wearable computing device, and the like. In example embodiments described herein, the external computing device 1400 may be a computing device that can communicate with the user computing device 1100 via a wireless network, for example, via a cellular network utilizing LTE technolog}'.

[0070] For example, the network 1200 may include any type of communications network such as a local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wide area network (WAN), personal area network (PAN), virtual private network (VPN), and the like. For example, wireless communication between elements of the examples described herein may be performed via a wireless LAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi direct (WFD), ultra wideband (UWB), infrared data association (IrDA), Bluetooth low energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC), a radio frequency (RF) signal, cellular networks (e.g., using protocols including Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or LTE), and the like. For example, wired communication between elements of the examples described herein may be performed via a pair cable, a coaxial cable, an optical fiber cable, an Ethernet cable, and the like. Communication over the network can use a wide variety of communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g., HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g., VPN, secure HTTP, SSL). [0071] The user computing device 1100 may include one or more processors 1110, one or more memory devices 1120, a communication mode activation application 1130, an input device 1140, a display device 1150, an output device 1160, a communication interface 1170, one or more sensors 1180, one or more media applications 1190, and at least one battery 1112. The user computing device 1100 depicted in FIG. 1 A is only an example, and the user computing device 1100 described herein may include more features or less features than those shown in FIG. 1A. For example, the user computing device 1100 may not include a display device 1150 or the one or more sensors 1180. Each of the components of the user computing device 1100 may be operatively connected with one another via a system bus. For example, the system bus may be any of several types of bus structures that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and/or a local bus using any of a variety' of commercially available bus architectures.

[0072] The server computing system 1300 may include one or more processors 1310, one or more memory devices 1320, a communication mode activation application 1330, and a communication interface 1340. Each of the features of the server computing system 1300 may be operatively connected with one another via a system bus. For example, the system bus may be any of several types of bus structures that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory' controller), a peripheral bus, and/or a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures.

[0073] The external computing device 1400 may include a personal computer, a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet computer, a wearable computing device, and the like. In example embodiments described herein, the external computing device 1400 may be any computing device that can communicate with the user computing device 1 100 via a wireless network, for example, via a cellular network utilizing LTE technology. The external computing device 1400 can include some or all of the components described with respect to the user computing device 1100 including the communication mode activation application 1130. Therefore, descriptions of these components in the context of the user computing device 1100 are also applicable to the external computing device 1400 and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity. Each of the features of the external computing device 1400 may be operatively connected with one another via a system bus. For example, the system bus may be any of several types of bus structures that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and/or a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures.

[0074] For example, the one or more processors 1110, 1310 can be any suitable processing device that can be included in a user computing device 1100 or server computing system 1300. For example, such a processor 1110, 1310 may include one or more of a processor, processor cores, a controller and an arithmetic logic unit, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an image processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable array, a programmable logic unit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, etc., and combinations thereof, including any other device capable of responding to and executing instructions in a defined manner. The one or more processors 1110, 1310 can be a single processor or a plurality of processors that are operatively connected, for example in parallel.

[0075] The one or more memory devices 1120, 1320 can include one or more non- transitory computer-readable storage mediums, such as such as a Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), and flash memory, a USB drive, a volatile memory device such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD), floppy disks, a blueray disk, or optical media such as CD ROM discs and DVDs, and combinations thereof. However, examples of the one or more memory devices 1120, 1320 are not limited to the above description, and the one or more memory devices 1120, 1320 may be realized by other various devices and structures as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0076] For example, the one or more memory devices 1120 can store instructions, that when executed, cause the one or more processors 1110 to: in a first communication mode in which the user computing device 1100 is disabled from receiving data wirelessly, receive a voice call which includes a tone; determine whether the voice call is received from a predetermined phone number; in response to determining the voice call is received from the predetennined phone number, authenticate the tone included in the voice call based on a predetermined tone; and in response to successfully authenticating the tone included in the voice call, activate a second communication mode in which the user computing device 1100 is enabled to receive data wirelessly, as described according to examples of the disclosure.

[0077] For example, the one or more memory devices 1320 can store instructions, that when executed, cause the one or more processors 1310 to: receive data from a first computing device (e.g., external computing device 1400) to be transmitted to a second computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100) while the second computing device is operating in a first communication mode in which the second computing device is disabled from receiving the data wirelessly; in response to receiving the data, connect to the second computing device via a voice call from a predetermined phone number; cause a predetermined tone to be played during the voice call to authenticate the voice call and cause the second computing device to activate a second communication mode in which the second computing device is enabled to receive data wirelessly; and in response to the second computing device activating the second communication mode, transmit the data to the second computing device, as described according to examples of the disclosure.

[0078] The one or more memory devices 1120 can also include data 1122 and instructions 1124 that can be retrieved, manipulated, created, or stored by the one or more processors 1110. In some examples, such data can be accessed and used as input to determine whether a voice call is received from a predetermined phone number, authenticate a tone included in the voice call based on a predetermined tone, and switch from a first communication mode to a second communication mode in which the user computing device 1100 is enabled to receive data wirelessly, as described according to examples of the disclosure.

[0079] The one or more memory devices 1320 can also include data 1322 and instructions 1324 that can be retrieved, manipulated, created, or stored by the one or more processors 1310. In some examples, such data can be accessed and used as input to receive data from a first computing device (e.g., external computing device 1400) to be transmitted to a second computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100) while the second computing device is operating in a first communication mode in which the second computing device is disabled from receiving the data wirelessly; to connect to the second computing device via a voice call from a predetermined phone number, to cause a predetermined tone to be played during the voice call to authenticate the voice call and cause the second computing device to activate a second communication mode in which the second computing device is enabled to receive data wirelessly, and in response to the second computing device activating the second communication mode, transmit the data to the second computing device, as described according to examples of the disclosure.

[0080] The user computing device 1100 can include a communication mode activation application 1130. The communication mode activation application 1130 can include an application which is configured to enable or disable different communication modes of the user computing device 1100. For example, the user computing device 1100 may operate in a first communication mode where the user computing device 1100 is not tethered to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. That is, the user computing device 1100 may not be connected to another device via a Bluetooth connection for receiving data wirelessly and the user computing device 1100 may not be connected to a Wi-Fi network (or cellular network) for receiving data. For example, the user computing device 1100 may be configured to operate in the first communication mode when a user associated with the user computing device 1100 is sleeping or when a user associated with the user computing device 1100 does not want to be disturbed (e.g., the user is attending school, a meeting, etc.). Further, in the first communication mode, the user computing device 1100 does not have an active sync with a backend server computing system (e.g., server computing system 1300) and is disabled from receiving data wirelessly, for example, via a LTE network. In this context, being disabled from receiving mobile data wirelessly via a LTE network refers to the user computing device 1100 not being able to receive data other than voice data (e.g., voice packets which are transmitted via separate bearer packets than mobile data, for example, via a voice channel). Thus, in the first communication mode the user computing device 1100 is disabled from receiving data (data packets) including, for example, internet data, multimedia data including images, videos, files, text messages, etc. via separate bearer packets than bearer packets used for voice data, for example, via a data channel which is separate from the voice channel. Likewise, in the first communication mode the user computing device 1100 is disabled from transmitting data (data packets) including, for example, internet data, multimedia data including images, videos, files, text messages, etc. via separate bearer packets than bearer packets used for voice data, for example, via a data channel which is separate from the voice channel. Accordingly, when the user computing device 1100 switches off mobile data, data packets get blocked, but voice packets can still be transferred.

[0081] The user computing device 1100 may also operate in a second communication mode where the user computing device 1100 can receive data wirelessly through a LTE network for datatransfer/exchange. Thus, in the second communication mode, which may be referred to as a LTE mobile data mode, the user computing device 1100 can be enabled to receive data wirelessly (e.g., over a cellular network). Accordingly, when the user computing device 1100 switches on mobile data, data packets and voice packets can be transferred (e.g., via their respective bearer packets and respective data and voice channels). Operation of the user computing device 1100 in the second communication mode may consume more power and computing resources than operation of the user computing device 1100 in the first communication mode.

[0082] As explained in more detail with reference to FIG. IB, in some implementations, the communication mode activation application 1130 can be configured to switch from the first communication mode to the second communication mode in response to receiving a voice call which includes a tone signal. In some implementations, the communication mode activation application 1130 can include a phone number comparator 1132, a tone comparator 1134, a communication mode activator 1136 and an application activator 1138.

[0083] For example, in some implementations the user computing device 1100 may automatically execute one or more aspects of the communication mode activation application 1130 in response to receiving a voice call while the user computing device 1100 operates in the first communication mode. For example, in some implementations the user computing device 1100 may automatically execute one or more aspects of the communication mode activation application 1130 in response to receiving a voice call while the user computing device 1100 operates in the first communication mode. For example, the user computing device 1100 may automatically execute the communication mode activation application 1130 to switch from the second communication mode to the first communication mode in response to a predetermined amount of time (e.g., after 30 seconds) elapsing after switching to the second communication mode. For example, the user computing device 1100 may be configured to switch back (e.g., automatically switch back) from the second communication mode to the first communication mode after a data exchange/transfer event (e.g., after receiving data sent from the server computing system 1300 or after transmitting requested data to the server computing system 1300). Switching back to the first communication mode conserves computing resources of the user computing device 1100 (e.g., battery usage) as the second communication mode consumes more computing resources than the first communication mode.

[0084] The server computing system 1300 can include a communication mode activation application 1230. The communication mode activation application 1230 can include an application which is configured to cause the user computing device 1100 to enable or disable different communication modes of the user computing device 1100, for example, the first and second communication modes as described herein.

[0085] As explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 1C, in some implementations, the communication mode activation application 1330 can be configured to receive data or a request for data, from the external computing device 1400 which is intended to be sent to user computing device 1100 which may be operating in the first communication mode. The communication mode activation application 1330 can be configured to initiate a voice call to the user computing device 1100 and generate (play) one or more tone signals during the voice call to cause the user computing device 1100 to switch to the second communication mode. In response to the user computing device 1100 switching to (activating) the second communication mode, the communication mode activation application 1330 may be configured to transmit the data or the request for data to the user computing device 1100. In some implementations, the communication mode activation application 1330 can include a receiver 1332, a voice call initiator 1334, a tone generator 1336, and a transmitter 1338.

[0086] The user computing device 1100 may include an input device 1140 configured to receive an input from a user and may include, for example, one or more of a keyboard (e.g., a physical keyboard, virtual keyboard, etc.), a mouse, a joystick, a button, a switch, an electronic pen or stylus, a gesture recognition sensor (e.g., to recognize gestures of a user including movements of a body part), an input sound device or voice recognition sensor (e.g., a microphone to receive a voice command), a track ball, a remote controller, a portable (e.g., a cellular or smart) phone, and so on. The input device 1140 may also be embodied by a touch-sensitive display device having a touchscreen capability, for example. For example, the input may be a voice input, a touch input, a gesture input, a click via a mouse, a remote controller, and so on.

[0087] The user computing device 1100 may include a display device 1150 which presents information viewable by the user, for example on a user interface (e.g., a graphical user interface). For example, the display device 1150 may be a touch sensitive display or a non-touch sensitive display. The display device 1150 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED), flexible display, 3D display, a plasma display panel (PDP), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, and the like, for example. However, the disclosure is not limited to these example display devices and may include other types of display devices.

[0088] The user computing device 1100 may include an output device 1160 configured to provide an output to the user and may include, for example, one or more of an audio device (e.g., one or more speakers), a haptic device to provide haptic feedback to a user, a light source (e.g., one or more light sources such as LEDs which provide visual feedback to a user), and the like.

[0089] The user computing device 1100 may include communication interface 1170 and the server computing system 1300 may include communication interface 1340. For example, the communication interfaces 1170, 1340 may include one or more network interface cards (e.g., wireless network adapters) configured to enable the communication of information over a network (e.g., network 1200) in a wired or wireless manner. For example, the communication interfaces 1170, 1340 may include a serial interface (e.g., using a serial communication protocol including Universal Serial Bus), a Bluetooth interface, a Wi-Fi interface, a cellular interface, ethemet interface, a fiber channel interface, etc. For example, data may be transferred between the user computing device 1100 and the server computing system 1300 via communication interfaces 1170, 1340 through one or more data channels or one or more data pipes. For example, a voice call (e.g., a wireless voice call including a voice over LTE (VoLTE) call) may be conducted between the user computing device 1100 and the server computing system 1300 via communication interfaces 1170, 1340 through one or more voice channels of a LTE network.

[0090] The user computing device 1100 may include one or more sensors 1180. For example, the one or more sensors 1180 may include an inertial measurement unit which includes one or more accelerometers and/or one or more gyroscopes which can be used to capture motion information with respect to the user computing device 1100. For example, the one or more sensors 1180 may include biometric sensors (e.g., photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors, etc.), a magnetometer, GPS sensor, and the like. The one or more sensors 1180 can also include one or more cameras. For example, the one or more cameras may include an imaging sensor (e.g., a complementary metal-oxide- semiconductor (CMOS) or charge-coupled device (CCD)) to capture, detect, or recognize a user's behavior, figure, expression, etc.

[0091] The user computing device 1100 may include one or more media applications 1190. For example, the one or more media applications 1190 may include one or more messaging applications 1192 (e.g., for text messaging), one or more location applications 1194 (e.g., for locating the user computing device 1100, using a GPS sensor, inertial measurement unit, or other navigation devices), and one or more social media applications 1196. For example, the one or more media applications 1190 may be unable to wirelessly receive or transmit data while the user computing device 1100 operates in the first communication mode.

[0092] The user computing device 1100 may include at least one battery 1112 configured to supply power to various components of the user computing device 1100. For example, the at least one battery 1112 can include a lithium-ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, a solid-state battery, a zinc-air battery, etc. In some implementations, the at least one battery 1112 supplies power to the communication interface 1170 (e.g., to power a transceiver, transmitter, receiver, etc.). For example, the at least one battery 1112 may supply more power to the communication interface 1170 when the user computing device 1100 is in the second communication mode than when the user computing device 1100 is in the first communication mode.

[0093] Example system 1000 may include a predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350. In some implementations, predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350 can represent a single database. In some implementations, the predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350 represents a plurality of different databases accessible to the user computing device 1100, server computing system 1300, and external computing device 1400.

[0094] In some examples, the predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350 can include predetermined phone numbers and predetermined tones which may be used to activate the second communication mode associated with user computing device 1100. In some implementations, the predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350 can include predetermined phone numbers and predetermined tones (tone signals) which may be used to activate the second communication mode associated with a plurality of user computing devices including user computing device 1100. For example, the plurality of user computing devices may include a same type of device, a same model, a same brand or manufacturer, etc. That is, a same predetermined phone number may be utilized for making voice calls to a plurality of user computing devices for activating (enabling) the second communication mode associated with the plurality of user computing devices. In addition, or alternatively, a same predetermined tone (tone signal) may be utilized for authenticating the voice call for a plurality of user computing devices for activating (enabling) the second communication mode associated with the plurality of user computing devices.

[0095] In some implementations, the predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350 can include predetermined phone numbers which are unique to or specifically associated with user computing device 1100 and used for activating the second communication mode associated with user computing device 1100. For example, in an example implementation a first user (e.g., a parent) associated with external computing device 1400 may provide a phone number (e.g., a phone number associated with external computing device 1400) as a predetermined phone number to server computing system 1300 as a predetermined phone number which can be used to activate the second communication mode of user computing device 1 100 which may be associated with a second user (e.g., a child of the parent). The first user’s (external computing device 1400) phone number may be stored at the predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350 as a predetermined phone number associated with user computing device 1100. The user computing device 1100 and server computing system 1300 may also store the phone number associated with external computing device 1400 as a predetermined phone number (e.g., at one or more memory devices 1120, 1320).

[0096] In some implementations, the predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350 can include predetermined tones (tone signals) which are unique to or specifically associated with user computing device 1100 and used for activating the second communication mode associated with user computing device 1100. For example, in an example implementation a first user (e.g., a parent) associated with external computing device 1400 may record a voice message that is utilized by server computing system 1300 as a predetermined tone (tone signal) which can be played during a voice call initiated by server computing system 1300 and be used to authenticate the voice call for activating (enabling) the second communication mode of user computing device 1100 which may be associated with a second user (e.g., a child of the parent). The first user’s (external computing device 1400) voice message (recording) may be stored at the predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350 as a predetermined tone associated with user computing device 1100. The user computing device 1100 and server computing system 1300 may also store the voice recording as the predetermined tone (e.g., at one or more memory devices 1120, 1320).

[0097] Referring to FIG. IB, an example block diagram of a communication mode activation application of a user computing device is shown, according to one or more examples of the disclosure. FIG. IB illustrates that the communication mode activation application 1130 includes a phone number comparator 1132, a tone comparator 1134, a communication mode activator 1136, and an application activator 1138. However, the communication mode activation application 1130 may include fewer or more features than that shown in FIG. IB.

[0098] Operations of the communication mode activation application 1130 will now' be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2A through 3C and the flow diagram of a non-limiting computer-implemented method shown in FIG. 4.

[0099] FIGS. 2A-2B are example graphical representations of predetermined tones, according to one or more examples of the disclosure. FIGS. 3A-3C are example illustrations of predetermined phone numbers, predetermined tones, and associated applications, according to one or more examples of the disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting computer-implemented method according to one or more examples of the disclosure.

[0100] The flow diagram of FIG. 4 illustrates a method 4000 for activating (enabling) a second communication mode of a user computing device. Although shown in a particular sequence or order, unless otherw ise specified, the order of the processes can be modified. Thus, the illustrated embodiments should be understood only as examples, and the illustrated processes can be performed in a different order, and some processes can be performed in parallel. Additionally, one or more processes can be omitted in various embodiments. Thus, not all processes are required in every embodiment. Other process flows are possible.

[0101] At operation 4110, the method 4100 can include a computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100). in a first communication mode in which the computing device is disabled from receiving data wirelessly, receiving a voice call which includes a tone. For example, phone number comparator 1132 may receive a voice call from server computing system 1300.

[0102] For example, the user computing device 1100 may operate in a first communication mode when the user computing device 1100 is not tethered to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. That is, the user computing device 1100 may not be connected to another device via a Bluetooth connection for receiving wireless mobile data and the user computing device 1100 may be disabled from receiving wireless mobile data. Further, in the first communication mode, the user computing device 1100 may not have an active sync with a backend server computing system (e.g., server computing system 1300) and may be disabled from receiving mobile data wirelessly, for example, via a LTE network. In this context, being disabled from receiving mobile data wirelessly via a LTE network refers to the user computing device 1100 not being able to receive data other than voice data (e g., voice packets which are transmitted via separate bearer packets than mobile data, for example, via a voice channel). Thus, in the first communication mode the user computing device 1100 is disabled from receiving data (data packets) including, for example, internet data, multimedia data including images, videos, files, text messages, etc. via separate bearer packets than bearer packets used for voice data, for example, via a data channel which is separate from the voice channel used for voice data (voice packets). Likewise, in the first communication mode the user computing device 1100 is disabled from transmitting data (data packets) including, for example, internet data, multimedia data including images, videos, files, text messages, etc. via separate bearer packets than bearer packets used for voice data, for example, via a data channel which is separate from the voice channel. Accordingly, when the user computing device 1100 has switched off mobile data and is in the first communication mode, data packets are blocked, but voice packets can still be transferred.

[0103] For example, in the first communication mode a voice call (e.g., a wireless voice call including a voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) voice call) may be conducted between the user computing device 1100 and the server computing system 1300 (or another device including external computing device 1400) through one or more voice channels, however in the first communication mode, mobile data (e.g. text messages, images, videos, internet data, etc.) may not be able to be transferred between the user computing device 1100 and the server computing system 1300 (or other devices including external computing device 1400) via one or more data channels or one or more data pipes. For example, the server computing system 1300 may initiate the voice call in response to a request from an external computing device 1400 to send data to the user computing device 1100 or to request data from the user computing device 1100. For example, the user computing device 1100 may operate in the first communication mode when a user associated with the user computing device 1100 is sleeping or when a user associated with the user computing device 1100 does not want to be disturbed (e.g., the user is attending school, a meeting, etc ).

[0104] At operation 4120, the method 4100 can include determining whether the voice call is received from a predetermined phone number. For example, phone number comparator 1132 may determine whether the phone number from which the voice call is associated corresponds to a predetermined phone number that is stored in the one or more memory devices 1120. When the phone number comparator 1132 determines the phone number from which the voice call is made does not correspond to a predetermined phone number that is stored in the one or more memory devices 1120, the method 4100 may end and the user computing device 1100 may remain in the first communication mode. When the phone number comparator 1132 determines the phone number from which the voice call is made does correspond to a predetermined phone number that is stored in the one or more memory devices 1120, the method 4100 may proceed to operation 4130.

[0105] At operation 4130, the method 4100 can include attempting to authenticate the tone signal included in the voice call based on a predetermined tone stored in the one or more memory devices 1120. For example, tone comparator 1134 may determine whether the tone signal included in the voice call corresponds to a predetermined tone that is stored in the one or more memory devices 1120. When the tone comparator 1134 determines the tone signal included in the voice call does not correspond to a predetermined tone that is stored in the one or more memory devices 1120, the method 4100 may end and the user computing device 1100 may remain in the first communication mode. In some implementations, an alert may be generated or other notification be provided by communication mode activation application 1130. For example, the alert or notification may be provided to the user associated with user computing device 1100, to a manufacturer of the user computing device 1100, etc. When the tone comparator 1134 determines the tone signal does correspond to a predetermined tone that is stored in the one or more memory' devices 1120 (e.g., a successful authentication), the method 4100 may proceed to operation 4140.

[0106] FIGS. 2A-2B are example graphical representations of predetermined tones, according to one or more examples of the disclosure. For example, in FIG. 2A the graph 2100 includes an example predetermined tone (tone signal) which corresponds to an example dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signaling tone 2110 which can be played during a voice call. In some implementations a series of DTMF tones may be played which can correspond to a code (e.g., to a number code such as “1201”) and the user computing device 1100 can verify whether the code associated with the DTMF tones is the same as a predetermined code which is associated with the predetermined phone number to authenticate the voice call.

[0107] For example, in FIG. 2B the graph 2100 includes an example predetermined tone (tone signal) which corresponds to an example audio spectrogram 2210 which graphically represents a recording (audio signature) which can be played during a voice call. In some implementations an audio recording (e.g., a voice recording, a song, etc.) may be played during the voice call and the user computing device 1100 can verify whether the audio recording is associated with the predetermined phone number to authenticate the voice call. For example, the tone comparator 1134 may be configured to compare the audio spectrogram associated with the audio recording against an audio spectrogram (stored in the one or more memory devices 1120) which is associated with the predetermined phone number to attempt to authenticate the voice call.

[0108] FIGS. 3A-3C are example illustrations of predetermined phone numbers, predetermined tones, and associated applications, according to one or more examples of the disclosure. The communication mode activation application 1130 may be configured to store and map various relationships between predetermined phone numbers, predetermined tones, and applications, as explained in more detail in the examples of FIGS. 3A-3C. The predetermined phone numbers, predetermined tones, and various relationships described herein may be stored in the one or more memory devices 120.

[0109] Referring to FIG. 3A, a predetermined phone number 3110 may be associated with respective applications 3120 provided at the user computing device 1100 (e.g., a device location finder application, a messaging application, etc.). For example, if the user computing device 1100 receives a phone call from a first predetermined phone number 3112, in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating a tone signal included in the voice call, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate the second communication mode (via communication interface 1170) and the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate a first application (e.g., the device location finder application) via the one or more media applications 1190. For example, if the user computing device 1100 receives a phone call from a second predetermined phone number 3114, in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating a tone signal included in the voice call, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate the second communication mode and the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate a second application (e.g., the messaging application). That is, prior to activation of the respective applications, the applications may be placed in a deactivated or background mode to conserve power of the user computing device 1100. In some implementations, an application may already be active and need not be activated for the user computing device 1100 to receive data or transmit data with respect to that application in connection with the second communication mode being activated.

[0110] Referring to FIG. 3B, a predetermined tone 3210 may be associated with respective applications 3220 provided at the user computing device 1100 (e.g., a device location finder application, a messaging application, etc.). For example, if the user computing device 1100 receives a phone call from a predetermined phone number, in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating a first tone signal 3212 included in the voice call, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate the second communication mode and the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate a first application (e.g., the device location finder application). For example, if the user computing device 1100 receives a phone call from the predetermined phone number, in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating a second tone signal 3214 included in the voice call, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate the second communication mode and the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate a second application (e.g., the messaging application). That is, prior to such activations of the respective application, the applications may be placed in a deactivated or background mode to conserve power of the user computing device 1100. In some implementations, an application may already be active and need not be activated for the user computing device 1 100 to receive data or transmit data with respect to that application in connection with the second communication mode being activated.

[0111] Referring to FIG. 3C, a predetermined phone number 3310 may be associated with predetermined tones 3320 and associated applications 3330 provided at the user computing device 1100 (e.g., a device location finder application, a messaging application, etc.). For example, if the user computing device 1100 receives a phone call from a first predetermined phone number 3312, in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating a tone signal included in the voice call, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate the second communication mode and the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate a first application (e.g., the device location finder application) or a second application (e.g., the messaging application), depending on whether a first tone signal (e.g., “TONE A”) or a second tone signal (e.g., “TONE B”) is played. In another implementation, if the user computing device 1100 receives a phone call from the first predetermined phone number 3312, in response to the tone comparator 1134 first successfully authenticating the first tone signal (“TONE A”) included in the voice call, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate the second communication mode and the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate the first application (e.g., the device location finder application), and if the second tone signal (“TONE B”) is subsequently played during the same voice call, the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate the second application (e.g., the messaging application). That is, prior to activation of the respective applications, the applications may be placed in a deactivated or background mode to conserve power of the user computing device 1100. In some implementations, an application may already be active and need not be activated for the user computing device 1100 to receive data or transmit data with respect to that application in connection with the second communication mode being activated.

[0112] For example, if the user computing device 1100 receives a phone call from a second predetermined phone number 3314, in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating a tone signal included in the voice call, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate the second communication mode and the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate a first application (e.g., the messaging application) or a second application (e.g., the device location finder application), depending on whether a first tone signal (e.g., “TONE C”) or a second tone signal (e.g., “TONE D”) is played. In another implementation, if the user computing device 1100 receives a phone call from the second predetermined phone number 3314, in response to the tone comparator 1134 first successfully authenticating the first tone signal (“TONE C”) included in the voice call, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate the second communication mode and the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate the first application (e.g., the messaging application), and if the second tone signal (“TONE D”) is subsequently played during the same voice call, the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate the second application (e.g., the device location finder application). For example, the tone comparator 1134 may also attempt to authenticate the second tone signal to determine whether the second tone signal (the further tone signal) is associated with a further predetermined tone stored in the one or more memory devices 1120. In response to the tone comparator 1134 determining the second tone signal (further tone signal) is associated with the further predetermined tone, the application activator 1138 may be configured to activate the second application. That is, prior to activation of the respective applications, the applications may be placed in a deactivated or background mode to conserve power of the user computing device 1100. In some implementations, an application may already be active and need not be activated for the user computing device 1100 to receive data or transmit data with respect to that application in connection with the second communication mode being activated.

[0113] At operation 4140, the method 4100 includes in response to successfully authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call, activating a second communication mode in which the computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100) is enabled to receive data wirelessly and, optionally, activating one or more applications as applicable.

[0114] For example, communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate (enable) the second communication mode in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call. For example, application activator 1138 may be configured to additionally activate (enable) one or more applications of the user computing device 1100 in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call. Thus, the same tone signal may be used to both activate the second communication mode (e.g., via communication interface 1170) and to activate an application (e.g., one or more media applications 1190).

[0115] In some implementations, more than one tone signal may be played during the voice call. For example, communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to activate (enable) the second communication mode in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating a first tone signal included in the voice call and application activator 1138 may be configured to activate (enable) one or more applications of the user computing device 1100 in response to the tone comparator 1134 successfully authenticating a second tone signal included in the voice call.

[0116] In some implementations, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to return the user computing device 1100 to the first communication mode a predetermined amount of time after activating the second communication mode (e.g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.). In some implementations, the communication mode activator 1136 may be configured to return the user computing device 1100 to the first communication mode a predetermined amount of time after receiving data from the server computing system 1300 (e.g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.), or to return the user computing device 1100 to the first communication mode a predetermined amount of time after transmitting data to the server computing system 1300 (e g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.). As described herein, power savings and conservation of computing resources can be achieved by maintaining the user computing device 1100 in the first communication mode. For example, battery 1112 may be configured to supply power to the communication interface 1170 for transmitting and receiving data over network 1200. For example, the battery 1112 may supply more power to the communication interface 1170 when the user computing device 1100 is in the second communication mode than when the user computing device 1100 is in the first communication mode.

[0117] Aspects of the disclosure have been described in view of the communication mode activation application 1130 provided at the user computing device 1100 with respect to FIGS. 2 A through 4.

[0118] Referring to FIG. 1C, an example block diagram of a communication mode activation application of a server computing system is show n, according to one or more examples of the disclosure. FIG. 1C illustrates that the communication mode activation application 1330 includes a receiver 1332, a voice call initiator 1334, atone generator 1336, and a transmitter 1338. However, the communication mode activation application 1330 may include fewer or more features than that shown in FIG. 1C.

[0119] Operations of the communication mode activation application 1330 will now' be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2A through 3C and the flow diagram of a non-limiting computer-implemented method shown in FIG. 5.

[0120] The flow diagram of FIG. 5 illustrates a method 5000 for receiving data from a first computing device to be sent to a second computing device, causing a second communication mode of the second computing device to be activated (enabled), and transmitting the data received from the first computing device to the second computing device. Although shown in a particular sequence or order, unless otherwise specified, the order of the processes can be modified. Thus, the illustrated embodiments should be understood only as examples, and the illustrated processes can be performed in a different order, and some processes can be performed in parallel. Additionally, one or more processes can be omitted in various embodiments. Thus, not all processes are required in every embodiment. Other process flows are possible.

[0121] At operation 5110, the method 5100 can include a server computing system (e.g., server computing system 1300), receiving data from a first computing device (e.g., external computing device 1400) which is to be transmitted to a second computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100), while the second computing device is operating in a first communication mode in which the computing device is disabled from receiving data wirelessly. For example, receiver 1332 may be configured to receive the data from the first computing device (e.g., external computing device 1400).

[0122] For example, the user computing device 1100 may operate in a first communication mode when the user computing device 1100 is not tethered to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. That is, the user computing device 1100 may not be connected to another device via a Bluetooth connection for receiving wireless mobile data and the user computing device 1100 may be disabled from receiving wireless mobile data. Further, in the first communication mode, the user computing device 1100 may not have an active sync with a backend server computing system (e.g., server computing system 1300) and may be disabled from receiving mobile data wirelessly, for example, via a LTE network. In this context, being disabled from receiving mobile data wirelessly via a LTE network refers to the user computing device 1100 not being able to receive data other than voice data (e.g., voice packets which are transmitted via separate bearer packets than mobile data, for example, via a voice channel). Thus, in the first communication mode the user computing device 1100 is disabled from receiving data (data packets) including, for example, internet data, multimedia data including images, videos, files, text messages, etc. via separate bearer packets than the bearer packets used for voice data, for example, via a data channel which is separate from the voice channel used for voice data (voice packets). Likewise, in the first communication mode the user computing device 1100 is disabled from transmitting data (data packets) including, for example, internet data, multimedia data including images, videos, files, text messages, etc. via separate bearer packets than the bearer packets used for voice data, for example, via a data channel which is separate from the voice channel. Accordingly, when the user computing device 1100 has switched off mobile data and is in the first communication mode, data packets are blocked, but voice packets can still be transferred.

[0123] At operation 5120, the method 5100 includes the server computing system (e.g., server computing system 1300) connecting to the second computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100) via a voice call from a predetermined phone number. For example, the server computing system 1300 may initiate the voice call in response to a request from an external computing device 1400 to send data to the user computing device 1100 or to request data from the user computing device 1100 and the server computing system 1300 determining that the user computing device 1100 cannot receive and/or transmit data (mobile data) wirelessly. For example, voice call initiator 1334 may be configured to initiate the voice call with the user computing device 1100.

[0124] For example, voice call initiator 1334 may be configured to conduct the voice call (e.g., a wireless voice call including a voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) voice call) between the user computing device 1100 and the server computing system 1300 (or another device including external computing device 1400) through one or more voice channels in which mobile wireless data is turned off at the user computing device 1100. In the first communication mode, mobile data (e.g., text messages, images, videos, internet data, etc.) may not be able to be transferred between the user computing device 1100 and the server computing system 1300 (or other devices including external computing device 1400) via one or more data channels or one or more data pipes.

[0125] For example, the server computing system 1300 may determine the status or availability of the user computing device 1100 according to various methods. For example, the user computing device 1100 may have previously transmitted a report to the server computing system 1300 indicating that mobile data has been turned off (that the user computing device 1100 is in the first communication mode) at the user computing device 1100. In some implementations, the server computing system 1300 may infer the user computing device 1100 is operating in the first communication mode due to detecting the user computing device 1100 has not provided delivery reports or acknowledgement, has not responded to the server computing system 1300 for a predetermined period of time, etc.

[0126] The voice call may be a wireless voice call including a voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) voice call) that is conducted between the user computing device 1100 and the server computing system 1300 through one or more voice channels via voice packets. The voice call initiator 1334 may be configured to initiate the voice call from a predetermined phone number that is also stored in the one or more memory devices 1120 of user computing device 1100 in advance. The predetermined phone number may be retrieved from predetermined phone number and predetermined tone data store 1350 or may be stored in the one or more memory device 1320 of server computing system 1300.

[0127] At operation 5130, the method 5100 can causing a predetermined tone signal to be played during the voice call to attempt to authenticate the voice call and cause the second computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100) to activate a second communication mode to enable the second computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100) to receive wireless mobile data. For example, the second communication mode may be a LTE mobile data mode in which mobile wireless data is turned on. For example, the tone generator 1336 may be configured to generate and transmit the predetermined tone signal. In some implementations, the predetermined tone signal may correspond to an audio signature or a voice recording. For example, the predetermined tone signal may correspond to one or more of the tone signals shown in FIGS. 2A-2B (e.g., example dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signaling tone 2110 or audio spectrogram 2210). Further, the predetermined phone numbers and predetermined tone signals utilized by the server computing system 1300 may be associated with one or more applications provided at the user computing device 1100 as described with respect to FIGS. 3A-3C.

[0128] In some implementations, the server computing system 1300 may be configured to transmit, to the second computing device, the predetermined phone number and the predetermined tone signal, at a predetermined time before the data is received from the first computing device. For example, the server computing system 1300 may be configured to transmit, to the second computing device, the predetermined phone number and the predetermined tone signal on a periodic basis (e g., daily, weekly, monthly, etc ).

[0129] In some implementations, the server computing system 1300 may be configured to transmit, to the second computing device (user computing device 1100), an updated predetermined phone number to replace the predetermined phone number and to transmit, to the second computing device, an updated predetermined tone (predetermined tone signal) to replace the predetermined tone (predetermined tone signal), at a predetermined time interval from a time when the predetermined phone number and/or predetermined tone was previously provided. Changing or updating the predetermined phone number can reduce the risk of an entity spoofing the phone number and attempting to access the user computing device 1100 for illegitimate or improper purposes. Likewise, changing or updating the predetermined tone signals can reduce the risk of an entity gaining access to the user computing device 1100 for illegitimate or improper purposes.

[0130] As described with respect to FIG. 4, the user computing device 1100 can attempt to authenticate the tone signal included in the voice call based on a predetermined tone stored in the one or more memory devices 1 120. When the user computing device 1 100 determines the tone signal corresponds to a predetermined tone that is stored in the one or more memory devices 1120 (e.g., a successful authentication), the user computing device 1100 may be configured to activate the second communication mode.

[0131] At operation 5140, the method 5100 includes in response to the second computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100) activating the second communication mode, the server computing system transmitting the data received from the first computing device (e.g., external computing device 1400) to the second computing device. For example, the data may include a text message, a request for location data, and the like. For example, transmitter 1338 may be configured to transmit the data to the second computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100).

[0132] As described herein, in some implementations, the server computing system 1300 may be configured to play more than one predetermined tone signal during a voice call. For example, the tone generator may be configured to generate or play a first predetermined application tone signal that, when recognized by the second computing device (e.g., user computing device 1100), causes a first application provided at the second computing device to be activated, and to generate or play a second predetermined application tone signal that, when recognized by the second computing device, causes a second application provided at the second computing device to be activated. In some implementations, the first predetermined application tone signal or second predetermined tone signal may correspond to the same predetermined tone signal which is authenticated by the user computing device 1100 to activate the second communication mode.

[0133] FIGS. 6A-6B are example flow diagrams, according to one or more examples of the disclosure. Aspects of FIGS. 6A-6B have also been described with respect to the methods of FIGS. 4 and 5 and therefore detailed descriptions of FIGS. 6A-6B will be omitted for the sake of brevity.

[0134] In FIG. 6A, at operation 6110 of flow diagram 6100, the external computing device 1400 transmits data to server computing system 1300 while the user computing device 1100 is in the first communication mode, the data having an intended destination of the user computing device 1100. For example, the data may be a text message, a photo, a web page, etc.

[0135] At operation 6120, server computing system 1300 initiates a voice call and connects to user computing device 1100 when the user computing device 1 100, at operation 6130, verifies that the phone number from which the server computing system 1300 call is associated with a predetermined phone number stored at the user computing device 1100.

[0136] At operation 6140, server computing system 1300 also transmits (plays) a predetermined tone signal during the voice call to the user computing device 1100. At operation 6150, the user computing device 1100 attempts to authenticate that the predetermined tone signal corresponds to a predetermined tone that is stored at the user computing device 1100. When the user computing device 1100 successfully authenticates the predetermined tone signal, the user computing device 1100 switches from the first communication mode to the second communication mode and data exchange is enabled.

[0137] At operation 6160, in response to a successful authentication and the user computing device 1100 switching to the second communication mode, the server computing system 1300 transmits the data to the user computing device 1100. In some implementations, at operation 6170 the user computing device 1100 may optionally activate an application of the user computing device 1100 (e.g., based on the predetennined phone number, the predetermined tone, or combinations thereof).

[0138] In some implementations, at operation 6180 the user computing device 1100 returns the user computing device 1100 to the first communication mode. For example, the user computing device 1100 can return to the first communication mode a predetermined amount of time after activating the second communication mode (e g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.). In some implementations, the user computing device 1100 returns the user computing device 1100 to the first communication mode a predetermined amount of time after receiving the data from the server computing system 1300 or external computing device 1400 (e.g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.).

[0139] In some implementations, at operation 6180 the user computing device 1100 may also deactivate the activated application. For example, the user computing device 1100 can deactivate the activated application a predetermined amount of time after activating the second communication mode (e.g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.). In some implementations, the user computing device 1100 deactivates the activated application a predetermined amount of time after receiving the data from the server computing system 1300 or external computing device 1400 (e.g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.).

[0140] In FIG. 6B, at operation 6210 of flow diagram 6200, the external computing device 1400 transmits a request for data to server computing system 1300 while the user computing device 1100 is in the first communication mode, the request for data having an intended destination of the user computing device 1100. For example, the request for data may be a request for location information associated with the user computing device 1100, a request for contact or identification information associated with the user computing device 1100, etc.

[0141] At operation 6220, server computing system 1300 initiates a voice call and connects to user computing device 1100 when the user computing device 1100, at operation 6230, verifies that the phone number from which the server computing system 1300 call is associated with a predetermined phone number stored at the user computing device 1100.

[0142] At operation 6240, server computing system 1300 also transmits (plays) a predetermined tone signal during the voice call to the user computing device 1100. At operation 6250, the user computing device 1100 attempts to authenticate that the predetermined tone signal corresponds to a predetermined tone that is stored at the user computing device 1100. When the user computing device 1100 successfully authenticates the predetermined tone signal, the user computing device 1100 switches from the first communication mode to the second communication mode and data exchange is enabled.

[0143] At operation 6260, in response to a successful authentication and the user computing device 1100 switching to the second communication mode, the server computing system 1300 transmits the request for data to the user computing device 1100. In some implementations, at operation 6270 the user computing device 1100 may optionally activate an application of the user computing device 1100 (e.g., based on the predetermined phone number, the predetermined tone, or combinations thereol).

[0144] At operation 6280, the user computing device 1100 transmits the requested data (e.g., location data, identification data, etc.) to the external computing device 1400 (e.g., via server computing system 1300).

[0145] In some implementations, at operation 6290 the user computing device 1100 returns the user computing device 1100 to the first communication mode. For example, the user computing device 1100 can return to the first communication mode a predetermined amount of time after activating the second communication mode (e.g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.). In some implementations, the user computing device 1100 returns the user computing device 1100 to the first communication mode a predetermined amount of time after transmitting the data to the server computing system 1300 or external computing device 1400 (e.g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.).

[0146] In some implementations, at operation 6290 the user computing device 1100 may also deactivate the activated application. For example, the user computing device 1100 can deactivate the activated application a predetermined amount of time after activating the second communication mode (e.g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.). In some implementations, the user computing device 1100 deactivates the activated application a predetermined amount of time after transmitting the data to the server computing system 1300 or external computing device 1400 (e.g., after 30 seconds, after one minute, etc.).

[0147] Aspects of the above-described example embodiments may be recorded in non- transitory computer-readable media including program instructions to implement various operations embodied by a computer. The media may also include, alone or in combination with the program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like. Examples of non- transitory computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD ROM disks, Blue-Ray disks, and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as optical discs; and other hardware devices that are specially configured to store and perform program instructions, such as semiconductor memory, readonly memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, USB memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher level code that may be executed by the computer using an interpreter. The program instructions may be executed by one or more processors. The described hardware devices may be configured to act as one or more software modules in order to perform the operations of the above-described embodiments, or vice versa. In addition, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be distributed among computer systems connected through a network and computer-readable codes or program instructions may be stored and executed in a decentralized manner. In addition, the non- transitory computer-readable storage media may also be embodied in at least one application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

[0148] Each block of the flow-chart illustrations may represent a unit, module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently (simultaneously) or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved.

[0149] While the disclosure has been described with respect to various example embodiments, each example is provided by way of explanation, not limitation of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, can readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations and/or additions to the disclosed subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the disclosure covers such alterations, variations, and equivalents.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A computing device, comprising: at least one memory, the at least one memory storing a predetermined phone number, a predetermined tone, and instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the at least one memory to: when the computing device is in a first communication mode and the computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data, receive a voice call which includes a tone signal, determine whether the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number stored in the at least one memory, in response to determining the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number, attempt to authenticate the tone signal included in the voice call based on the predetermined tone stored in the at least one memory, and in response to successfully authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call, activate a second communication mode to enable the computing device to receive wireless mobile data.

2. The computing device of claim 1, the voice call being a voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) voice call received via a voice channel.

3. The computing device of claim 2, the first communication mode being a longterm evolution (LTE) mode in which mobile wireless data is turned off and the second communication mode being a LTE mobile data mode in which mobile wireless data is turned on.

4. The computing device of claim 3, when the computing device is in the first communication mode the computing device is not tethered to another computing device via a Wi-Fi connection or a Bluetooth connection.

5. The computing device of claim 1, the wireless mobile data includes a text message from an external computing device.

6. The computing device of claim 1, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive a further tone signal, determine the further tone signal is associated with a further predetermined tone stored in the at least one memory, the further predetermined tone being associated with an application of the computing device, and in response to activating the second communication mode and determining the further tone signal is associated with the further predetermined tone, activate the application of the computing device.

7. The computing device of claim 1, the at least one processor being further configured to receive, from a server computing system, the predetermined phone number and the predetermined tone, at a predetermined time.

8. The computing device of claim 7, the at least one processor being further configured to receive, from the server computing system, an updated predetermined phone number to replace the stored predetermined phone number and to receive, from the server computing system, an updated predetermined tone to replace the predetermined tone.

9. The computing device of claim 8, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the server computing system, the updated predetermined phone number to replace the stored predetermined phone number, at a predetermined time interval from the predetermined time, and receive, from the server computing system, the updated predetermined tone to replace the predetermined tone, at the predetermined time interval from the predetermined time.

10. The computing device of claim 1, the at least one processor being further configured to return the computing device to the first communication mode a predetermined amount of time after activating the second communication mode.

11. The computing device of claim 1 , the computing device is a smartwatch or a tracker.

12. The computing device of claim 1, the predetermined tone corresponding to an audio signature.

13. The computing device of claim 1, the predetermined tone corresponding to a voice recording.

14. The computing device of claim 1, the at least one memory storing a plurality of predetermined tones including a first predetermined tone and a second predetermined tone, and the at least one processor being further configured to: receive a plurality of tone signals including a first tone signal and a second tone signal, subsequent to activating the second communication mode, activate a first application of the computing device when the first tone signal corresponds to the first predetermined tone, and subsequent to activating the second communication mode, activate a second application of the computing device when the second tone signal corresponds to the second predetermined tone.

15. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising: a communication interface configured to receive wireless mobile data and to transmit wireless mobile data; and a battery configured to supply power to the communication interface, the battery supplying more power to the communication interface when the computing device is in the second communication mode than when the computing device is in the first communication mode.

16. A server computing system, comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the at least one memory to: receive data from a first computing device to be transmitted to a second computing device while the second computing device is in a first communication mode and the second computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data, in response to receiving the data, connect to the second computing device via a voice call from a predetermined phone number, cause a predetermined tone signal to be played during the voice call to attempt to authenticate the voice call and cause the second computing device to activate a second communication mode to enable the second computing device to receive wireless mobile data, and transmit the data to the second computing device.

17. The server computing system of claim 16, the voice call being a voice over long- tenn evolution (VoLTE) voice call via a voice channel, the first communication mode being a long-term evolution (LTE) mode in which mobile wireless data is turned off, and the second communication mode being a LTE mobile data mode in which mobile wireless data is turned on.

18. The server computing system of claim 16, the at least one processor being further configured to transmit, to the second computing device, the predetermined phone number and the predetermined tone signal, at a predetermined time before the data is received from the first computing device.

19. The server computing system of claim 18, the at least one processor being configured to transmit, to the second computing device, an updated predetermined phone number to replace the predetermined phone number and to transmit, to the second computing device, an updated predetermined tone signal to replace the predetermined tone signal.

20. The server computing system of claim 16, the at least one processor being configured to transmit the data to the second computing device in response to the second computing device activating the second communication mode.

21. The server computing system of claim 16, the at least one processor being configured to: cause at least one of a plurality of predetermined application tone signals to be played during the voice call, the plurality of predetermined application tone signals including: a first predetermined application tone signal that, when recognized by the second computing device, causes a first application provided at the second computing device to be activated, and a second predetermined application tone signal that, when recognized by the second computing device, causes a second application provided at the second computing device to be activated.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a predetermined phone number, a predetermined tone, and instructions that are executable by at least one processor of a computing device, the instructions comprising instructions to cause the at least one processor to: when the computing device is in a first communication mode and the computing device is disabled from receiving wireless mobile data, receive a voice call which includes a tone signal; determine whether the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number; in response to determining the voice call is received from the predetermined phone number, attempt authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call based on the predetermined tone; and in response to successfully authenticating the tone signal included in the voice call, activate a second communication mode to enable the computing device to receive wireless mobile data.