TrueCaller for iPhone gets Live Caller ID support, but it's a bit limited

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As part of its latest app update, Truecaller announced that it's bringing Live Caller ID support to iPhones running iOS 16 and above. The feature has already been available on Android devices for quite some time now and automatically displays the name when the user gets a call from an unknown number.

However, things aren't as simple in the case of the iPhone and the Live Caller ID feature requires Siri to work. The user will have to say "Hey Siri, Search Truecaller" during an incoming phone call to trigger the feature and display the name of the caller.

This limited functionality is because of the way iPhone treats third-party caller ID apps, Truecaller's product director for iOS Nakul Kabra told TechCrunch. Apple only allows a limited set of numbers, selected by Truecaller's spam algorithm, to be stored in a directory tied to the CallKit framework. For the rest, a manual search needs to be conducted, which is done via Siri.

However, according to the publication, users with newer models, such as the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, can use the Back Tap gesture instead of calling out Siri to activate the Live Caller ID feature. They can do so by linking Back Tap gesture to the Search Truecaller shortcut in the accessibility settings.

Truecaller's Live Caller ID on iPhone is only available to users with a premium plan. To set up the feature, the user needs to visit the Premium tab in the app and tap on the 'Add to Siri' option. The latest update also brings better spam detection and redesigned spam filters to the app. Additionally, there is a Comments feature which allows users to post and read others' feedback for spam numbers.