Facebook introduces Hello dialer app with caller ID, business search, and more

After introducing the ability to place voice calls over Messenger just a little over a year ago, Facebook is now introducing a completely dedicated dialer app called “Hello.” The app looks to make your dialer smarter by being able to see who’s calling with intelligent caller ID, the ability to easily block or mute callers, and search for people and businesses all from within the dialer.

Information is grabbed from Facebook where it is continuously synced with the Hello app. Should Hello pull up someone that doesn’t have a number tied to their Facebook account — or you’d simply like to make a call for free using your data connection — you also have the option to place a call using Messenger, also linked inside the app.

The caller ID benefits are clear. There’s nothing worse than receiving a call from an unknown person. The problem is you wont see any info on these callers unless their info is linked to their Facebook account and/or shared with their friends. I found a good majority of the contacts pooled from Facebook didn’t have any phone numbers attached.

But the auto-blocking feature — which blocks calls other Facebookers have blocked — is a nice touch, along with profile pictures and birthdays. So it’s definitely got some things going for it. Download for free via the link below.

Download on Google Play: Hello — Caller ID & Blocking

Cyanogen OS to get caller ID integration thanks to Truecaller partnership

Cyanogen Inc today announced a new partnership. They’ve teamed up with Truecaller, the makers of a caller ID app that’ll show you unknown callers or identify phone numbers known to be spam. The integration will come at the OS level, says Cyanogen, so there will be no need to download a separate app if caller ID is something you fancy.

That deep integration will also allow the company to integrate the information you’re looking for in a way that makes sense. Whereas a standalone caller ID app might require going into their app to see information about calls that were already placed, you will be able to see that information right from Cyanogen’s built-in dialer.

Cyanogen says the deal will apply to all future mobile devices that ship with Cyanogen OS globally, and will also be available to tens of millions of existing users via an over-the-air update. We don’t have an exact timeline on when to expect these features to arrive to existing customers, but we imagine it shouldn’t be long if they’re already promising it to be ready for all future Cyanogen devices.