Truecaller (TRUEb.ST) said on Monday that it will soon begin making its caller identification service available through WhatsApp and other messaging apps to assist users identify probable spam calls over the internet.
Truecaller Chief Executive Alan Mamedi stated that the feature, which is now in beta, will be rolled out internationally later in May.
Telemarketing and fraud calls are on the rise in nations such as India, where customers receive an average of 17 spam calls each month, according to a Truecaller analysis from 2021.
In February, India’s telecom regulator urged carriers such as Jio and Airtel to begin blocking telemarketing calls over their networks with artificial intelligence filters. Truecaller has stated that it is in talks with telecom carriers about implementing such a solution.
“We have observed an increase in user reports from India about spam calls using WhatsApp over the last two weeks,” Mamedi said, stressing that telemarketers switching to internet calling was a relatively new phenomenon in the market.
WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in India. According to the firm, it uses spam detection technology to detect and act on accounts that exhibit unusual behaviour, and it allows users to block and report problematic accounts.
For Truecaller, India is its biggest market with 250 million users. It has 350 million users globally and earns its revenue from advertising, subscription services, and verified listings from businesses.