Truecaller Adds Number Scanner and Fast Track Numbers to Its Android App

Truecaller, one of India’s most popular apps, is introducing two new features designed to add a little bit of convenience to the lives its users, especially those in India.

The first - called Number Scanner - will let you scan numbers from billboards, business cards, and pretty much anything else by simply using your phone's camera. Users can access this option by tapping the new camera icon in the Search bar within the Truecaller app and pointing the camera in the direction of the object. Alternatively, you can tap the hamburger icon within the app to trigger a small camera mode within the menu - in both cases, the app automatically detects phone numbers within the frame without you needing to ‘click’ a picture.

Gadgets 360 got early access to the feature and in our testing, the Truecaller app was quick and accurate in scanning numbers from different kinds of business cards and print ads. The Number Scanner does not require an Internet connection to work and the results are instantaneous, but if you have an active Internet connection the app can look up the number in the Truecaller database and show you the name of the corresponding person/ business.

The app detects if multiple numbers are present in the frame, and lets you pick the one you wish to proceed with. The only drawback we found in our testing is that at the moment there’s no way to point the Number Scanner to an image that’s already in your photos library - you need to capture one in real time. Hopefully, this changes with an update.

Users in India will be able to combine the new scan feature with Truecaller Pay, the ICICI Bank-powered UPI payments layer built into the app, to quickly send money to anyone on-the-go, in a feature that the company is calling Scan & Pay.

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The second new feature - called Fast Track Numbers - integrates curated toll-free numbers across various categories like Airlines, Banks, Emergency Services, Hotels, and more into the Truecaller app and makes them accessible via the search bar. These Fast Track Numbers are available even when you are offline and a company representative told Gadgets 360 these details will be updated periodically.

The new features will be available via the Truecaller app for Android v8.45, which is rolling out to users this week. Fast Track Numbers and the Scan & Pay feature will only be available to users in India for now.  Truecaller has over 250 million users worldwide and India is its largest market.

With the updated Truecaller app installed, users of the stock Contacts app will also see a few new options for their contacts - the ability to send them money, request for money, recharge number, and send a Truecaller Flash message - within the Contacts app.