Free

Truecaller is a popular mobile application that provides caller ID and spam blocking services. With over 425 million monthly active users worldwide, it is available on Android, iOS and Wear OS platforms.

From its beginnings to its meteoric growth

Founded in 2009 by Alan Mamedi and Nami Zarringhalam, Truecaller was initially launched on Symbian and Windows Mobile. It was soon extended to Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Nokia Series 40. The app has seen impressive growth, reaching 5 million users in 2012, 10 million in 2013, 250 million in 2017 and exceeding 200 million monthly active users in 2020.

This success is due in part to major investments from venture capital firms such as OpenOcean, Sequoia Capital, Atomico and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. In 2015, Truecaller launched TrueMessenger, an app dedicated to identifying SMS senders, which was integrated into the main app in 2017. The company has also announced plans to go public in 2019.

A range of features for more secure communication

Truecaller offers a range of features to enhance the security and management of communications. Caller ID is one of its flagship functions. It identifies unknown callers, providing information on their identity and distinguishing business calls from spam. Reverse number lookup can also be used to find names associated with phone numbers.
Spam blocking is another key Truecaller feature. Thanks to a spam database updated in real time by millions of users, the application automatically blocks fraudulent calls and SMS messages. Advanced blocking options allow you to target specific countries, number sequences and call types.

Truecaller also offers messaging services, enabling you to send and receive SMS messages, schedule messages, automatically identify and block unwanted SMS messages, and organize messages in separate tabs.
The Truecaller assistant, an AI-powered virtual assistant, filters and answers calls, detects spam calls with over 90% accuracy, and offers voice personalization options.

Call recording is another handy feature, allowing incoming and outgoing calls to be recorded, call topics to be automatically generated by AI, and automatic conversation summaries and written transcripts to be provided.

Finally, Truecaller offers paid Premium features, including ad-free, call recording, Truecaller assistant, AI call scanning, profile lookup notifications, advanced blocking options, incognito mode, Premium badge and additional contact requests

A Real Impact but Persistent Controversies

Truecaller has played a significant role in combating spam and fraud by identifying billions of fraudulent calls and SMS messages, thereby contributing to safer communication.

The app has also found diverse uses, such as searching for business and individual contacts, managing customer interactions for businesses, and protecting against fraud.

However, Truecaller has faced controversies regarding its security and privacy practices:

In 2013, its servers were reportedly hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army, although Truecaller downplayed the impact of the breach.
Massive database leaks containing personal information surfaced in 2020, 2021, and 2024.
Uploading users' contacts to Truecaller's servers to create its database raises privacy concerns.
Truecaller also tracks calls made by non-users to users (and vice versa), collecting information about non-users without their consent.
A 2019 security flaw exposed user data and location information.

Other controversies include displaying a truncated map of India, violating Indian law, and the ease with which scammers can bypass the "verified" badge system.

Conclusion

Truecaller is a powerful app offering valuable features for caller identification, spam blocking, and communication management. However, concerns about data privacy and security must be considered. Users should weigh the app's benefits against potential risks and explore available alternatives before making a decision. The future of Truecaller and the caller identification industry will depend on companies' ability to balance functionality with privacy protection.