Truecaller Evolves on iOS with Real-Time Caller ID | Festina Lente - Your leading source of AI news | Turtles AI
Truecaller updates iOS app with real-time caller ID, leveraging new iOS 18 features. Major innovations improve user experience and strengthen the app’s competitiveness.
Key Points:
- New Real-Time ID: Truecaller uses iOS 18 integration to provide unprecedented caller ID on iPhone.
- iOS Strategic Importance: Although a minority, iOS users generate 40% of the company’s premium revenue.
- Technology Innovation: Use of homomorphic encryption ensures security and synchronization between iOS and Android databases.
- Competitive Challenges: Truecaller tackles new local initiatives, such as the CNAP system in India, and optimizes performance for complex markets.
Truecaller has improved its iOS app with a significant update that introduces real-time caller ID, a feature made possible by iOS 18. Apple, through the new Live Caller ID Lookup option, has allowed third-party apps to make encrypted requests to servers to retrieve caller information. This marks a turning point for iPhone users, who have been at a disadvantage compared to Android users for years. Truecaller has achieved this innovation by implementing a new server architecture and an encrypted database dedicated to iOS users, using an advanced encryption technique called "homomorphic encryption". This approach allows encrypted data to be processed, ensuring maximum security and displaying results only on the user’s device.
The strategic importance of this evolution is evident considering that, despite representing a minority, iOS users constitute a fundamental part of Truecaller’s revenues: 40% of premium revenue comes from this platform. The iOS app also shows five times higher premium conversion rates than Android, generating 80% higher average revenue per user. This push has led the company to continually improve its offering for Apple’s operating system, as demonstrated by the relaunch of the iOS app in 2022, which introduced more efficient spam detection thanks to the ability to store more numbers locally. However, the technological environment in countries such as India remains a challenge, with an increasing volume of calls and the introduction of alternative systems such as CNAP, which could emerge as a direct competitor.
The real-time identification feature offered by the current update is a further step forward from a previous attempt in 2023, which required interaction with Siri and was not fully automated. With the new system, the response is automatic and happens in real time, although Truecaller acknowledges that the cryptographic processing means there are occasional delays of a few hours. The company also announced further improvements, such as the integration of images for caller ID, and an improved interface on iOS 18, with the caller’s name highlighted in bold above the number.
To enable this feature, users must go to their iPhone settings, turning on the Caller ID option within the Phone app. With a subscription structure starting at $9.99 per month and annual premium offers up to $249, Truecaller aims to strengthen its positioning, making the experience more intuitive and cutting-edge.
Truecaller continues to redefine the concept of caller ID, combining security and innovation to meet the growing needs of iOS users.