In a recent blog post, Google announced that its Phone App will now be available on more Android devices. Until now, the app has been exclusive for Pixel and Android One devices. Some Xiaomi smartphones sold in Europe also featured the app.
With the ongoing pandemic, many businesses are more reliant on phone calls. Phone calls have been a way to reach out to new clients and also serve existing ones. But more often than not, people fall victim to spam calls. And it is definitely safe to say that no one likes spam calls. Google is here to shield you from them. Along with the announcement of Pixel 4, the company revealed Verified Calls.
Verified Calls is a call verification system, unlike any other. This feature shows when a call is from a verified business or institution. Callers can also provide reasons for the call to appear on your phone screen.
Phone calls are a tricky area – mostly so when an unsaved number is ringing you up. A 2019 FTC Report found that phone calls were the number one way for scammers to get to people. It’s like you avoid a call when it’s from an unknown number. But there are also reports of a median loss of $1,000 through spam calls.
Google aims to help solve this problem though Verified Calls. The feature on the Google Phone App can let you identify a business from a scammer. The feature has the ability to report whether a call is from a verified business or not. For it to work, businesses must pass Google’s verification test. They must send the relevant information to Google’s Verified Calls server. Businesses are asked to ping the server with their number, client’s contact, and the call’s purpose. The app will then compare the incoming call with the information it receives from Google. If the information matches, the call is marked as verified. The app users would receive the name and opening hours of the business when they get the call.
Google says that this feature would be okay for businesses during both individual and bulk calls. It says that it has safeguards in place to stop companies from abusing it.
If businesses use the feature well, this feature could be helpful for both parties. Customers are likely to receive a call when notified that it is an actual business calling them. Google says that it has seen an increase in customers’ likelihood of answering calls during trials of the feature. Last year, it found an increase in consumer trust after its Verified SMS feature was released. These facts shared are a boost for businesses to register themselves in this feature.
The Google Phone app with Verified Calls will be available in the US, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, and India. More countries are expected to be added on the list later this year.
In the recent blog post, Gal Vered, Product Manager at Google, says:
The app will be available for download starting later this week on even more Android devices.
Earlier in August, it was noted that the beta version of the app could be installed in some Samsung and Android devices.
The Google Phone app is really very convenient. And now that Google is making the app available to other Android devices, it is truly great. Android users will get to enjoy the app and its updated features. And, as Google plans to reach many countries in the near future, its a win-win for all.
