Truecaller comes out with lighter, smarter version after challenge from Holaa

Identifying callers and blocking unwanted ones is vital for many people, especially in countries like India where most smartphone users have pre-paid connections. That’s why an app like Truecaller, which helps track down caller identities, is hugely popular in India. And now, the Swedish company that makes the app is adding on predictive features to make it smarter and more personalized.

This comes just eight days after the launch of a similar caller ID app called Holaa which was made in India by Nimbuzz.

The new Truecaller 5.0, available only for Android right now, specifically focuses on the needs of those who use the app to search for contact information in its massive database of caller identities. A statement announcing the launch today says the app, which now has over 100 million users globally, receives 1.5 billion search requests in a month.

Its updated version uses algorithms to personalize searches and suggest relevant contacts based on call history, time, and place. “This is the first step we’re taking to make Truecaller more personal and intelligent,” says Alan Mamedi, co-founder and CEO of Truecaller.

Just eight days earlier, Vikas Saxena, CEO of Nimbuzz, which shifted its base from the Netherlands to India in 2012, had explained to Tech in Asia how its alternative to Truecaller was made keeping in mind the specific needs of the region. “Holaa is 30 percent smaller in app size than Truecaller and 30 percent less RAM intensive. This means the application can be downloaded across a wider variety of devices, including the lower end handsets, and ensures minimum impact on the phone’s battery.”

Now the announcement of the latest version of Truecaller claims it is “much lighter” than before in memory consumption. “We have reduced the app size by over 30 percent, which is a huge improvement and decrease of memory consumption. This is really incredible considering the features and capabilities Truecaller has,” Kim Fai Kok, marketing manager of Truecaller, told Tech in Asia.

So the battle is on between two European-origin companies that are figuring out what’s best for Asian mobile phone users.

Truecaller, which came out way back in 2009, is more popular in India than in Europe or the US where most phone connections are post-paid and caller identities known. This is the biggest revamp of the app, and its new search functions to find relevant contacts may give it wider appeal. But, as both Mamedi and Saxena promise, this is just the start for these apps to make themselves more useful to phone users and small businesses in managing their calls and contacts.

See: Holaa! A new mobile app from India identifies callers and blocks spam. It’s a challenge to Truecaller