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    Truecaller crosses 500 mn downloads & 150 mn daily active users globally, introduces new features

    Synopsis

    The caller ID app has crossed 1 million premium users globally.

    Truecaller_twitterAgencies
    Truecaller is not content with being ‘just’ a caller ID app.
    Truecaller is not content with being ‘just’ a caller ID app. If you happen to be one of the 150 million daily active users (DAUs) of the app, you’ve probably noticed how it has been evolving. Truecaller Pay is fairly recent – they tied up with ICICI bank to offer UPI and bill payments. There’s instant messaging with other Truecaller users (they call it Flash), SMS blocking, VoIP calling and complete phone dialler replacement functionality too. The company’s latest innovations in the caller ID space are Call Alerts and full screen caller ID – more on these later.

    You don’t have to be a premium (read: paid) user to use all these features either - though going premium does give you an interface without pesky ads and the advantage of several extra features such as an auto updating spammer list, call recording, a premium badge, the ability to see who viewed your profile and 30 contact requests per month.

    Full Screen Caller IDAgencies
    Glimpse of Truecaller's Full Screen Caller ID

    Fresh on the heels of announcing that they’ve crossed 1 million premium users globally, the Swedish company just announced some other big milestones: 500 million app downloads and 150 million daily active users. These are global numbers: the company did not provide a breakup of global vs India numbers for these milestones. Truecaller India MD Sandeep Patil recently said that the company “considers India their home market” so it’s safe to assume that the biggest numbers and fastest growth is still registered in India.

    Talking about the two latest features, Call Alerts lets you know who is calling even before the call comes through. This is especially important for emerging markets like India where low speed or patchy networks might prevent the caller ID from functioning normally. Full screen caller ID, meanwhile, replaces the phone’s stock calling interface with Truecaller’s own, giving you more information and actionable features at a glance. The Call Alerts feature has already been rolling out to select Android users while full screen caller ID will be enabled with an app update soon. The company has long since struggled with privacy concerns and the perception that they upload phonebook contacts of the user (they actually rely on permission based crowdsourcing to identify numbers).

    Call AlertsAgencies
    Glimpse of the Call Alerts feature.

    The only downside to all of this is that iPhone users don’t get to enjoy all the same features and functionality that Android users do because of restrictions imposed by Apple. Oh, and if you’re only after the call recording feature on the Premium version, don’t do it if your phone is on Android version 9. Earlier this year, citing privacy concerns, Google removed the ability of apps to record ongoing phone conversations. The only workaround is to root/hack your phone or use a phone that offers it as built in functionality.

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