TrueCaller is expanding its services with a new app that offers private audio communications.
TrueCaller is the market leader in caller ID and spam blocking for mobile users. Based in Sweden, the company regularly releases reports on the state of the mobile communication industry and the dangers posed by spam and scam attempts. The company is now leveraging its experience to create a secure, private way of communicating.
“Thanks to Truecaller being 13 years in the business, we’ve spent a great deal of time learning about how people communicate,” said Nami Zarringhalam, Co-founder of True Software Scandinavia AB. “Our new app Open Doors was born out of a simple question – how can we help people make new connections without being intrusive? And this is what we want to do: to bridge the world using the most natural form of communication, our voices.”
Users can easily join Open Doors by downloading it for free in the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Existing Truecaller users can join by simply tapping the button in their existing app.
Once installed, Open Doors’ onboarding process is straightforward, only requiring verification of the user’s phone number. In terms of permissions, the app requests only what it needs and nothing more. Specifically, it needs permission to make phone calls and access the user’s contacts.
Open Doors conversations happen in real-time and are not stored anywhere. This ensures the privacy of communications and eliminates the chance of anyone listening in on conversations without the other participants knowing. As an added privacy feature, conversation participants cannot see each other’s phone numbers.
Open Doors is counting on a network effect to drive adoption, where each user’s contacts are invited when they join a conversation.
It’s apparent Truecaller is trying to create the digital equivalent of a normal, everyday conversation, where people can come and go as they please. The company also trusts users to self-moderate rather than having a moderation system in place.
Given the features Open Doors provides — as well as Truecaller’s history as a company that helps protect user privacy — it’s a safe bet the app will quickly gain a following.