Truecaller, the app that told you who was calling, is now going beyond being that territory. At an event on Tuesday, the company announced a range of new features on its newest version Truecaller 8.
For starters, the app will now be available for iOS users and on the web platform. So far, it was only available for android users. It has also launched features that will let you see who is SMS’ing you and lets you filter out spam messages.
It has also launched a flash messaging feature, which lets you send pre-defined messages in case of distress, or to let someone know your location.
Truecaller is now not just an identifier. It has launched a mobile payments service in partnership with ICIC Bank. Users can use this service to send or receive money and recharge their phones. Though it has partnered with ICICI, any Unified Payments Interface (UPI) supported bank user can use this service. Truecaller says that No money will be parked nor will it handle any sensitive data such as account details, credit/debit card information of its users.
Speaking of the partnership, Abonty Banerjee, senior GM and Head – Digital Channels, ICICI Bank said, “with this new service, users will get the benefit of making quick and easy payments to any mobile number registered with the BHIM app, thereby enabling them to reach out to a wider section of people.”
Truecaller has also partnered with airtel to introduce Airtel Truecaller ID. This feature extends the Truecaller caller ID feature to Airtel’s non-data users who use feature phones. Information will be delivered to users via Flash SMS before the call hits the users mobile, letting feature phone users on the Airtel network see who’s calling.
“We are delighted to announce this partnership, which will be a global first. Airtel and Truecaller will enable millions of feature phone users to enjoy a ‘smartphone like’ experience in offline mode and add to their mobile experience. We hope this partnership will encourage other global developers to innovate for the feature phone segment, which still forms a large part of the overall market in countries like India,” said Raj Pudipeddi, director of consumer business and CMO, Airtel.
Finally, the company has also partnered with Google to integrate Google’s video calling service Google Duo into the Truecaller app. This feature will be made available to Android and iOS users as a permission-based service, where users will be able to opt in and out at any time.
“Our aim is to make video calling simple, fast, and available to everyone.With this integration, we’re able to bring a better video calling experience to millions of new users,” said Amit Fulay, head of Duo, Google.”