Truecaller Review: How to Do Phone Number Search and Block Numbers

Truecaller app is a quick way to identify unknown numbers and block scammers. And although it’s a free app, don’t be too quick to download it. Discover our experience in this Truecaller app review. We’ll let you know how it works, its pros and cons. Only then can you decide whether it fits your needs.

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What Is TrueCaller?

Truecaller is a Swedish-owned company offering caller ID and spam-blocking services on their app. The Truecaller app for iPhone and Android has over 350 million monthly users.

The company has 152,138 followers on LinkedIn. It prides itself as the number one platform for verifying contacts. In addition, Truecaller has 2.6M followers on Facebook and 140K followers on X.

Is Truecaller safe and legit?

Truecaller has strong data security with a policy that protects users’ rights through its terms of service. In addition, it stipulates how it collects and uses your information through the app and online platforms in its privacy policy.

However, Truecaller was recently accused of displaying people’s private information without consent. The company denied these claims, saying it has strict governance measures. It also denied claims that it is building financial profiles on its users.

Most people are satisfied with Truecaller’s services. It has received a 4.4-star rating on Capterra and 4.5 stars from Google Play from over 19M reviews.

How Does Truecaller Work?

Truecaller operates by collecting contact data from users’ phone books, which it uploads to its database. This crowdsourced information allows Truecaller to identify and display names for unknown numbers and flag spam calls using user reports and algorithms.

To try Truecaller, I installed the app on my Samsung A33 with the Android 13 operating system. All it required was my phone number to verify my identity. I also allowed some permissions, like setting it to be my phone’s default call app.

These are the features I tested out on the Truecaller app:

Caller ID – Scores 9/10

Truecaller works as a caller ID app. I used this feature to identify unknown callers, especially the numbers I had not saved in my phonebook.

Go through these steps to set up Truecaller Caller ID:

1. Download the Truecaller app from Google Play or App Store.
2. Allow all the prompts to set Truecaller as the default phone, caller ID, and spam app.
   
3. Enter your phone number.
4. Read and accept the Truecaller user agreement and complete your profile.
5. Once set up, you will see the incoming call, the name of the person calling you as identified by Truecaller, and their picture. If the caller is a company, Truecaller will also display the type of company on the screen.

Truecaller assigns colors to different types of calls – blue for standard calls and red for spam calls. Green is for verified businesses, while purple is for priority calls. This way, you will know the type of call to pick just by looking at the color.

You can change the settings of the Caller ID from the Truecaller menu. These include, full-screen or classic pop-ups, toggling On and Off Call ID for phonebook contacts, and showing caller ID for WhatsApp, among others.

Call & SMS Blocking – Scores 9/10

Truecaller is excellent at blocking unwanted calls and SMS.

Follow these steps to block spam calls with Truecaller:

1. Go to Truecaller settings in the top-left corner.
2. Tap Block. Toggle on settings to block spam calls like “Block top spammer,” “Block hidden numbers,” “Block numbers from foreign countries,” and “Block numbers not in the phonebook.”
3. You can block someone manually by tapping “Phone number” and entering the number. You will be asked to list the number as a business or a person.
   
4. Tap Message Sender Name to block spam messages. Enter the sender name and tap Block.
   

Truecaller can block unwanted calls from entire country codes and number series. For example, you can block a number that starts with, contains, or ends with specific numbers.

How to Use Truecaller Phone Number Search – Scores 8/10

Truecaller has a reverse number lookup feature. You can copy and paste phone numbers from the phone, social media, and the web, and Truecaller can help you know the person behind the phone number.

Go to the Truecaller app and paste the desired phone number on the search bar. Truecaller identifies the caller immediately. It displays the owner’s name and whether it’s a business. It also shows additional details, such as the call’s origin and whether it’s a spam call.

Truecaller can search for numbers as you dial. After you type in a number, Truecaller will identify the owner of the number before you call. On the Truecaller app for Android and Windows 10 smartphones, you can use the Live caller ID, which identifies unknown callers before you answer the call. This feature works when your phone has a Wi-Fi connection.

Truecaller phone number search is not restricted to numbers only. You can also search for names from your social circle. If the name matches someone you know and their profile is set to private, Truecaller helps you reach out so that they can share their phone details with you. However, this feature is only available on the premium version.

Unlisting Your Name from Truecaller

If you don’t want your name or number to appear on Truecaller, you can remove it from the app using various ways.

Deactivate your account

1. Tap on three dots in the top-right corner of the Truecaller app and choose Settings.
   
2. Scroll down to Privacy Center and click on Deactivate.
3. Confirm you want to deactivate your account and click Yes.
   

Unlist Your Number

To unlist your phone number from Truecaller, go to Truecaller online unlisting page.

1. Tap on “No, I want to Unlist.”
2. Enter your phone number and confirm you are not a robot.
3. You will be asked to give a reason why you want your number unlisted and then click “Unlist.” Truecaller will tell you that the number was successfully unlisted from its phone directory. Remember that unlisting your phone number is not reversible.
   

Truecaller Premium

Truecaller has various plans, including the free version, Premium plan, Gold, and Truecaller Business. Truecaller Premium features include Caller ID, spam blocking, No Ads, seeing who viewed your profile, and anonymous searches.

Truecaller Premium gives calls a Premium badge and call recording on some phone operating systems. It also has messaging apps Caller ID, and it can announce calls. Finally, you can expect live chat support on the premium plan.

Truecaller Pricing

Truecaller offers flexible pricing for its different plans. The Premium plan costs $2.99 per month or $29.90 per year. You can also pay $10.99 paid every three months.

The Gold plan costs $249 per year. It includes all the premium features, including incognito mode and Gold Caller ID.

Truecaller Business starts at $150 per number for 1-10 phone numbers and $75 per number for 10-25 phone numbers.

Truecaller does not have a free trial, since it has a free version.

Truecaller Customer Support

Truecaller does not have a phone number that you can use to contact them. You need to submit a ticket or leave a review to get their attention.

Customers are dissatisfied with their support, as most cite that support is unhelpful and repetitive.

Truecaller Reviews From Web Users

Truecaller has received millions of reviews from web users. It has a 4.5-star rating on Google Play and 4.4 stars on Capterra. Reviewers on Trustpilot gave it 2.3 stars, with many complaining about the company’s customer support. Those that like Trustpilot have praised the service, saying Truecaller is their default app, which has helped them prevent spam calls.

Truecaller users appreciate that 99% of spam calls don’t get through and are sent to the blocked section. Some say they have tried numerous blocking apps, and Truecaller has been the most effective at bringing their daily call volume down by identifying and blocking spam calls.

However, Truecaller has not pleased everyone since users noted that it has many ads, and the only way to remove them is by paying a monthly subscription. Others noted that the app is glitchy, and it interferes with other apps.

Truecaller Alternatives

While Truecaller works well, it’s not the only option for call blocking and identifying senders of text messages. Here are the best Truecaller alternatives:

Numberguru

Numberguru is a reverse phone lookup service that provides information about a person or company using a phone number. The service is crowdsourced, like Truecaller, where users give feedback about a number. This means they can list the number as spam and alert others about it. If the number is a telemarketer, users will know and can add that number to their spam calls list.

Numberguru and Truecaller have simple user interfaces to quickly look up numbers and block spammers. Numberguru reverse number lookup works like Truecaller number search. You enter the number on the search bar, and Numberguru will find its owner by searching through its database.

However, after experimenting with both apps, we discovered that Truecaller causes battery drainage because of background use, unlike Numberguru, which does not affect the phone’s performance. You will also not be asked to make Numberguru the default caller ID and phone app like Truecaller does.

Numberguru has an app available for Android and iOS. It has a 4-1-star rating on Google Play, meaning that most people are happy with the app.

Try NumberGuru

TruthFinder

TruthFinder is one of the most used people search engines on the web. Its main focus is uncovering people’s information. You can search for information using a person’s phone number, name, address, or email.

Like Truecaller name search, you can enter someone’s name and location on Truthfinder and discover their phone number and other details like relatives and social media data.

You can search anonymously with Truthfinder meaning the person will not be alerted, unlike Truecaller, which alerts a person when searched on the free version. Nonetheless, Truthfinder does not have a free trial or free version. It has a cheap trial of $1 for five days. Pricing starts at $4.99 per month for reverse phone number lookup.

Both Truecaller and Truthfinder are incredibly accurate about the information they provide about a phone number. However, Truecaller is crowdsourced, while Truthfinder searches public records and the dark web to source its information.

You can get the TruthFinder from Google Play or the App Store for Android and iOS devices. The app allows you to uncover information about people with a phone number on the go.

Try TruthFinder

Truecaller Pros & Cons

To sum it up:

Truecaller

Conclusion

Truecaller is one of the best Caller ID and spam-blocking apps available. With its community-based spam-identifying process, you can depend on its database to help block spam and unwanted calls.

While Truecaller is free, most features are accessible through the premium version. Hence, you can only benefit from all its features with a paid plan. Nonetheless, expect to identify callers, even those not in your phonebook, with Truecaller as it works as advertised.

For broader and anonymous phone lookup, you can use a Truecaller alternative – Truthfinder.