Patent ID: 8799886

Claim:
A method of distributing a communications software upgrade to a plurality of wireless mobile user computer systems having a communications software application installed thereon, the method comprising: (a) determining via a software distribution computer system whether a communications software upgrade is to be a forced upgrade or a recommended upgrade for a first user based at least in part on the installed communication software application on a wireless mobile computer system of the first user or a first parameter related to the first user, the first parameter relating to a level of communications processing services that the first user subscribes to; (b) if the upgrade with respect to the first user is a recommended upgrade: enabling directions to be provided via the wireless mobile computer system of the first user directing the first user regarding how to provide an instruction to cause the recommended software upgrade to be performed; determining if the recommended software upgrade instruction has been received from the first user; (c) determining via the software distribution computer system whether the software upgrade is to be a forced upgrade or a recommended upgrade for a second user based at least in part on the installed communication software application on a wireless mobile computer system of the second user or a second parameter related to the second user, wherein the second parameter relates to a level of communications processing services that the second user subscribes to; (d) if the upgrade with respect to a second user is a recommended upgrade: enabling directions to be provided to the wireless mobile computer system of the second user directing the second user regarding how to provide an instruction to cause the recommended software upgrade to be performed; determining if the recommended software upgrade instruction has been received from the second user; and causing, at least in part, the communications software upgrade to be performed with respect to the first user based at least in part on determinations made in (a) and (b); causing, at least in part, the communications software upgrade to be performed with respect to the second user based at least in part on determinations made in (c) and (d).