Facilitating cross-platform content access

Abstract

A messaging system includes features of gathering information regarding content accessed across multiple applications and/or devices and making that information available to account holders of the messaging system. The messaging system stores data related to accessed content in a plurality of indices and makes that data available to enable account holders to access previously-accessed content, even if the previous access occurred in a different software application, on a different device, or on a device with a different operating system. Account holders may also be provided with recommendations based on gathered information.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method comprising:
 receiving a plurality of data entries from user devices, wherein each data entry relates to an access of a respective content item by a respective user account using a respective application running on a respective user device;   updating an aggregated account index with data in the received plurality of data entries, wherein the aggregated account index associates a plurality of first keys comprising content item identifiers, a plurality of second keys comprising application identifiers, and a plurality of third keys comprising user account identifiers with values comprising view values, wherein each view value specifies a number of times that a particular user account accessed a particular content item using a particular application;   in response to an input received from a user device corresponding to a first user account, determining one or more recommendations of applications or content items for the first user account using i) the aggregated account index and ii) one or more relevance scores determined for particular content items or particular applications; and   providing the one or more recommendations to the user device.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein determining one or more recommended applications for the first user account comprises:
 using the plurality of second keys in the aggregated account index to determine, for each application and for the first user account, an application usage based on the view values for each content item accessed by the first user account using the application;   assigning a relevance score to each application based on the respective determined application usage; and   recommending one or more applications having a relevance score that satisfies a threshold.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein determining one or more recommended content items for the first user account comprises:
 using the plurality of first keys in the aggregated account index to determine, for each content item and for the first user account, a popularity based on the view values for the content item accessed by the first user account using each application;   assigning a relevance score to each content item based on the respective determined popularity; and   recommending one or more content items having a relevance score that satisfies a threshold.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the input is a request from the first user account to access a first content item using a first application, and wherein determining one or more recommended applications comprises determining an application associated with the first content item, comprising:
 determining, using the aggregated account index, each application used by the first user account to access the first content item;   assigning, for each of the determined applications, a relevance score based on a view value in the aggregated account index corresponding to accesses of the first content item by the first user account using the application; and   in response to determining that the application having the highest relevance score is different from first application used to request access to the first content item, recommending the application having the highest relevance score.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein determining one or more recommended content items for the first user account comprises:
 using the aggregated account index to determine content items accessed by the first user account; and   recommending one or more content items that (i) are related to one or more of the content items accessed by the first user account and (ii) have not yet been accessed by the first user account.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein providing the one or more recommendations to the user device comprises:
 for each recommended content item or recommended application, identifying a location from which the recommended content item or recommended application can be obtained; and   providing data representing the identified locations to the user device.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 identifying a location from which a recommended content item can be obtained comprises identifying the location using a correlation index; and   the method further comprises updating the correlation index using the received plurality of data entries, wherein the correlation index associates a plurality of fourth keys comprising content item identifiers and a plurality of fifth keys comprising application identifiers with values comprising unique content item addresses, wherein each unique content item address specifies a location for obtaining the content item using a respective application.   
     
     
         9 . A system comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operation comprising:
 receiving a plurality of data entries from user devices, wherein each data entry relates to an access of a respective content item by a respective user account using a respective application running on a respective user device;   updating an aggregated account index with data in the received plurality of data entries, wherein the aggregated account index associates a plurality of first keys comprising content item identifiers, a plurality of second keys comprising application identifiers, and a plurality of third keys comprising user account identifiers with values comprising view values, wherein each view value specifies a number of times that a particular user account accessed a particular content item using a particular application;   in response to an input received from a user device corresponding to a first user account, determining one or more recommendations of applications or content items for the first user account using i) the aggregated account index and ii) one or more relevance scores determined for particular content items or particular applications; and   providing the one or more recommendations to the user device.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein determining one or more recommended applications for the first user account comprises:
 using the plurality of second keys in the aggregated account index to determine, for each application and for the first user account, an application usage based on the view values for each content item accessed by the first user account using the application;   assigning a relevance score to each application based on the respective determined application usage; and   recommending one or more applications having a relevance score that satisfies a threshold.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein determining one or more recommended content items for the first user account comprises:
 using the plurality of first keys in the aggregated account index to determine, for each content item and for the first user account, a popularity based on the view values for the content item accessed by the first user account using each application;   assigning a relevance score to each content item based on the respective determined popularity; and   recommending one or more content items having a relevance score that satisfies a threshold.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the input is a request from the first user account to access a first content item using a first application, and wherein determining one or more recommended applications comprises determining an application associated with the first content item, comprising:
 determining, using the aggregated account index, each application used by the first user account to access the first content item;   assigning, for each of the determined applications, a relevance score based on a view value in the aggregated account index corresponding to accesses of the first content item by the first user account using the application; and   in response to determining that the application having the highest relevance score is different from first application used to request access to the first content item, recommending the application having the highest relevance score.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein determining one or more recommended content items for the first user account comprises:
 using the aggregated account index to determine content items accessed by the first user account; and   recommending one or more content items that (i) are related to one or more of the content items accessed by the first user account and (ii) have not yet been accessed by the first user account.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein providing the one or more recommendations to the user device comprises:
 for each recommended content item or recommended application, identifying a location from which the recommended content item or recommended application can be obtained; and   providing data representing the identified locations to the user device.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein:
 identifying a location from which a recommended content item can be obtained comprises identifying the location using a correlation index; and   the operations further comprise updating the correlation index using the received plurality of data entries, wherein the correlation index associates a plurality of fourth keys comprising content item identifiers and a plurality of fifth keys comprising application identifiers with values comprising unique content item addresses, wherein each unique content item address specifies a location for obtaining the content item using a respective application.   
     
     
         16 . One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media comprising instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a plurality of data entries from user devices, wherein each data entry relates to an access of a respective content item by a respective user account using a respective application running on a respective user device;   updating an aggregated account index with data in the received plurality of data entries, wherein the aggregated account index associates a plurality of first keys comprising content item identifiers, a plurality of second keys comprising application identifiers, and a plurality of third keys comprising user account identifiers with values comprising view values, wherein each view value specifies a number of times that a particular user account accessed a particular content item using a particular application;   in response to an input received from a user device corresponding to a first user account, determining one or more recommendations of applications or content items for the first user account using i) the aggregated account index and ii) one or more relevance scores determined for particular content items or particular applications; and   providing the one or more recommendations to the user device.   
     
     
         17 . The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of  claim 16 , wherein determining one or more recommended applications for the first user account comprises:
 using the plurality of second keys in the aggregated account index to determine, for each application and for the first user account, an application usage based on the view values for each content item accessed by the first user account using the application;   assigning a relevance score to each application based on the respective determined application usage; and   recommending one or more applications having a relevance score that satisfies a threshold.   
     
     
         18 . The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of  claim 16 , wherein determining one or more recommended content items for the first user account comprises:
 using the plurality of first keys in the aggregated account index to determine, for each content item and for the first user account, a popularity based on the view values for the content item accessed by the first user account using each application;   assigning a relevance score to each content item based on the respective determined popularity; and   recommending one or more content items having a relevance score that satisfies a threshold.   
     
     
         19 . The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of  claim 16 , wherein the input is a request from the first user account to access a first content item using a first application, and wherein determining one or more recommended applications comprises determining an application associated with the first content item, comprising:
 determining, using the aggregated account index, each application used by the first user account to access the first content item;   assigning, for each of the determined applications, a relevance score based on a view value in the aggregated account index corresponding to accesses of the first content item by the first user account using the application; and   in response to determining that the application having the highest relevance score is different from first application used to request access to the first content item, recommending the application having the highest relevance score.   
     
     
         20 . The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of  claim 16 , wherein determining one or more recommended content items for the first user account comprises:
 using the aggregated account index to determine content items accessed by the first user account; and   recommending one or more content items that (i) are related to one or more of the content items accessed by the first user account and (ii) have not yet been accessed by the first user account.   
     
     
         21 . The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of  claim 16 , wherein providing the one or more recommendations to the user device comprises:
 for each recommended content item or recommended application, identifying a location from which the recommended content item or recommended application can be obtained; and   providing data representing the identified locations to the user device.