Rishit Jhunjhunwala Archives ~ My Mobile India

HIGHLIGHTS * Truecaller has rolled out a new update to iOS that brings some major features. * The new update is available for users in India, South Africa and Nigeria. * It brings live caller ID, better spam protection,& more. * The feature will make it easier for users to search for details of the caller. * It will only available for premium smartphone. Truecaller has announced a major update for iPhone users that brings live caller ID and other features as well. The new features are available for IPhone users in India, South Africa and Nigeria, and whose devices are updated to iOS 16 and higher. Truecaller plans on rolling it out to more countries soon. There is a big catch with this feature though, and that is it’s available only for Truecaller Premium users. In India, Truecaller Premium is available at Rs 529 annually or Rs 179 quarterly. There’s a Truecaller Gold subscription plan too, and this one is priced at Rs 5,000 annually. Truecaller works as an essential tool to identify unknown numbers, spam calls and SMS. But the app’s features have been rather limited on iOS due to Apple’s tight security measures. The latest update comes with features that should help iPhone users make the most of the app. Starting with live caller ID, this feature is now available on iOS and it has been integrated with Siri. It will essentially help identify calls from unknown users on iPhones. If you’re an iPhone user and have Truecaller’s live caller ID enabled, all you need to do is say “Hey Siri, Search Truecaller” whenever an unknown number is calling. Truecaller will then pull up information on the unknown number and display it on top of the calling screen. Speaking about the new update, Rishit Jhunjhunwala, Managing Director, India at Truecaller said, “We are witnessing strong adoption on iPhones and we are constantly innovating within the platform. Our team applied a lot of creativity to build this Siri powered Live Caller ID experience. Finally our community can get to experience Live Caller ID during an incoming call by saying 'Hey Siri, Search Truecaller'. We are very excited with this global release and will continue to innovate on the iOS platform.” Truecaller has been a known name in the app market globally — thanks to its eponymous caller-identification service. Its active user base these days numbers 338 million, but it could be bigger: A lack of a caller ID feature on iOS has arguably held back its growth among iPhone users. Now, in an effort to expand its reach, the Stockholm-based company is introducing an update that will finally provide live caller ID support on iOS, available to people using its paid tiers. The new feature comes as Truecaller continues to see a lot of growth, but also some knocks in its strongest markets. The app has been one of the more popular ones among mobile users in markets like India where spammers target the masses. Yet the company has faced criticism over how it collects data for its caller ID service. Last year, an investigation by Indian magazine The Caravan claimed Truecaller was “comprised of details which have been collected without consent.” However, the company denied the allegations asserted that the investigation was flawed and based on inaccurate information. The new caller ID feature will be offered only to users who are on the app’s premium tiers (priced at a range of tiers ranging from $0.99 per month per individual, through to $4.99/month when a user’s carrier is not supported and $9.99/month for family plans, with discounts on annual subscriptions). And it won’t be just like it is on Android: Unlike the seamless experience available on that platform — users see a caller ID instantly when they receive an incoming call — the iPhone experience will involve a step that requires interacting with Siri. Nakul Kabra, product director for iOS at Truecaller, told industry that the app has had a limited experience on the iPhone due to how Apple works with third-party caller ID apps. The current framework for identifying calls in Truecaller is limited to a finite set of numbers stored in directories in Apple’s CallKit framework, chosen by Truecaller’s spam algorithm. That means that other numbers not stored locally require manual search, he said. To use the new feature, Truecaller subscribers on an iPhone running on iOS 16 or above will be to access live caller ID support by saying, “Hey Siri, Search Truecaller.” This will allow Siri to capture the number appearing on the screen, search for it on the app, then show the result to the user. The feature leverages Apple’s Siri Shortcuts and App Intents to offer the anticipated live caller ID experience. That means users will need first to enable the Search Truecaller shortcut on their iPhone by tapping the Add to Siri option in the Premium tab. The first time the shortcut runs, the user will be prompted to allow Truecaller to search from the screenshots the shortcut captures. “We have been tinkering around with App Intents for the last few months since iOS 16 was publicly launched… Previous iterations didn’t have the right experience to be used in the context of a live call. One of the more recent iterations is what has evolved into this feature,” Kabra said. Users with more recent iPhones, including the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, will have the option to access the feature without having to call out the Siri phrase and instead will be able to tap the back of their handset. For this, they need to enable the Search Truecaller shortcut from the Back Tap gesture settings. With this update, Truecaller has also doubled its CallKit directory size and improved its spam detection algorithm to ensure that spam, scam, and fraud calls are recognized more accurately. “This improved directory makes sure that most top spam and verified business calls can be identified right away even without needing to ask Siri. However, given the limitations of the platform, we cannot identify all calls using the traditional call directories mechanism. This is where the new Live Caller ID comes in and makes sure that you can identify every single call,” Kabra said. The company also says premium users’ spam lists will receive daily updates. Meanwhile, free users only have the option to update the list manually. Truecaller additionally introduced a commenting feature for iPhone users that lets them read user feedback coming on spam calls and even contribute with their own comments. This feature was previously available on Android. SMS filtering on iOS is also being improved with the ability to categorize incoming text messages into Finance, Orders, Reminders, Coupons, Offers and Junk categories. This categorization is currently live in India, South Africa and Nigeria and will soon be rolled out to other markets. The new set of features on Truecaller for iPhone comes months after the iOS app received a revamped experience in August last year. Since then, the company said its daily users on the iPhone had grown more than 80%. The company declined to provide details on how many users it has on iOS in total. “Live Caller ID on iPhone is the one major aspect that has eluded our iPhone app, and we are excited to finally introduce it with the help of Siri,” said Alan Mamedi, co-founder and CEO at Truecaller, in a prepared statement. How to enable Truecaller live caller ID on iPhones * Open the Truecaller app and go to the Premium tab. * Now click on the ‘Add to Siri’ option, allow access for Truecaller and select ‘Always allow’. * It essentially adds a Siri shortcut for Truecaller on your iPhone. * Once this is done, just say ‘Hey Siri, search Truecaller’ whenever an unknown number is calling. Truecaller says the caller information will be pulled up and displayed within seconds. In addition to live caller ID, Truecaller has also updated the spam detection feature on the app. Spam detection is two times better, and Premium users will have their spam detection list automatically updated. There’s another feature for users to view and add comments on spam marked numbers. This update will also filter incoming SMS messages and automatically categorise them into Finance, Orders, Reminders, Coupons, Offers and Junk. Truecaller: Other new features coming to iPhone The latest update also adds the ability to view and add comments on the numbers that are marked spam. It lets you view user feedback on a spammer that others might provide. It allows users to report their own experience on unknown calls. One will also witness a revamped SMS filtering feature. With this, the incoming SMS messages will be automatically categorized into Finance, Orders, Reminders, Coupons, Offers, and Junk. The feature is live for iOS 16 and newer versions in India, South Africa, and Nigeria. The platform has confirmed that it will soon roll out the features to some other countries as well. FAQ's on Truecaller 1) How did Siri, Meet Truecaller: A Match Made in Caller ID Heaven? Ans) Truecaller has decided to join forces with Apples virtual assistant, Siri, to make identifying unknown callers a breeze. With this latest update, iPhone users can simply say "Hey Siri, Search Truecaller" when receiving a call from an unknown number. Truecaller will then quickly fetch the caller's details and display the information on top of the calling screen. Talk about convenience! 2) What is The Exclusive Club: Premium Perks and Compatibility? Ans) Before you get too excited, there's a catch: this fantastic new feature is only available for premium Truecaller subscribers with devices running iOS 16 or newer. To access Live Caller ID, you'll need to purchase a Premium subscription and set up the Siri shortcut within the app. 3) Setting Up Live Caller ID: A Step-by-Step Guide Ans) Setting up Truecaller's Live Caller ID on your iPhone is a piece of cake! Follow these simple steps: 1. Go to the Premium tab within the app and click on 'Add to Siri.' 2. Allow access for Truecaller by choosing 'Always allow' when prompted. 3. Just say "Hey Siri, search Truecaller" when you receive a call from an unknown number. 4. Voila! Truecaller will instantly tell you who's calling. 4) What are More Goodies for iPhone Users: Features Galore? Ans) In addition to Live Caller ID, Truecaller has rolled out other exciting features for iPhone users. You can now view and add comments on spam-marked numbers, allowing you to see user feedback and share your own experiences. Plus, a revamped SMS filtering feature will automatically categorize incoming messages into Finance, Orders, Reminders, Coupons, Offers, and Junk. 5) Rolling Out Worldwide: Who's Next? Ans) Currently, these features are available for iOS 16 and newer devices in India, South Africa, and Nigeria. Truecaller has confirmed plans to expand these features to other countries soon. 6) What are the benefits which come with Truecaller premium plan ? Ans) Anyone who buys the Truecaller premium plan gets these benefits: * No ads * Who viewed my profile * Advanced spam blocking * Unlimited contact requests * Incognito mode * Announce calls (Android only) * Ghost calls (Android only) 7) Live Caller ID comes at a cost for iPhone users.What’s the cost ? Ans) For excited iPhone users, we would like to clarify that the Live Caller ID is a premium feature on the Truecaller app and a user will need to buy a premium subscription to use this feature. Truecaller currently offers two subscription tiers in India; Premium and Gold Premium plans. The premium subscription costs Rs 529 per year for an individual member or Rs 179 for 3 months whereas a Gold plan costs Rs 5,000 per year. Truecaller, last year, launched a family subscription plan in India. So, if you are planning to buy a premium subscription for more than one user, you can consider buying it. The Truecaller family plan costs Rs 132 per month or Rs 925 per year in India. There’s a limitation to the family plan that only Android users can buy it after which they can add iOS members to their list. Also Read: Change Truecaller Name: ‘How To’ Edition! Also Read: TrueCaller iOS Update, Detects Scam

Rishit Jhunjhunwala

Truecaller finally adds live caller ID for iPhones, but there’s a catch: Only For Premium User: Learn how to access it

Truecaller on Android updated with significant new capabilities

Truecaller partners MapmyIndia, FactChecker to provide easy and accurate COVID-19 healthcare information

Truecaller does its bit, comes up with Covid Hospital Directory in India

Rishit Jhunjhunwala appointed as Truecaller India MD