Popular caller ID app Truecaller has finally brought real-time caller information to iPhone users with a new update. Previously, this feature was only available to Android users, but now iOS subscribers can enjoy it as well.

Apple introduced Live Caller ID Lookup in iOS 18, allowing third-party caller ID apps like Truecaller to securely access information about incoming calls in real time. This is a significant update for Truecaller, especially since the company’s co-founders stepped down from day-to-day operations in November 2024.

Currently, Truecaller has over 2.6 million paying subscribers, with around 750,000 on iOS. Despite the smaller user base, 40% of Truecaller’s Premium revenue comes from iOS subscriptions. The company sees a 5x conversion rate to its premium tier on iOS compared to Android, as well as 80% higher revenue from iPhone subscribers.

The iPhone is crucial to Truecaller’s success, so they continue to focus on developing their iOS app. In 2022, they revamped the app to improve spam detection, thanks to Apple’s support for storing a larger database of numbers locally. However, the challenge remains in countries like India where high call volumes exceed offline databases.

Truecaller faces competition in India from a new service called Calling Name Presentation (CNAP), aimed at reducing spam calls. Despite these challenges, Truecaller is committed to enhancing its iOS app experience for users.

One of the recent updates in 2023 added a live caller ID experience to the iOS app, but it required interaction with Siri and wasn’t real-time. With the release of iOS 18, Truecaller was able to implement real-time caller ID capabilities by developing a new server architecture and encrypted database for iOS users.

The homomorphic encryption process allows encrypted data to be used for computations without decryption until received on the client side (iPhone). This ensures that caller ID information is displayed in real time without compromising data security.

Truecaller continues to refine the live caller ID feature, syncing databases to minimize delays and ensure accurate caller information display. Users can access this feature through iPhone settings and enjoy a more streamlined interface with bold caller names and potentially image support in the future.