Spam-blocking app to open offices in SA

Truecaller, the popular cellphone app that allows users to block unwanted calls, has announced it will launch its regional headquarters in South Africa.

The app currently hosts over 250 million users worldwide, and it enables them to identify, flag, and block spam calls, as well as provide caller ID on calls they actually want to receive.

Over 20% of their users are based in Africa, of which 3.2 million are South African – their third largest market on the continent, following Egypt and Nigeria.

Every month Truecaller blocks 12 million spam calls in South Africa, which means on average South African users receive 15 spam calls per month.

This places South Africa fifth on a list of countries that receive the most spam calls, with Indian users at the top and each receiving 22.6 spam calls per month. 

Although South Africa is only the third largest Truecaller user on the continent, it has proven to be number one in terms of growth, seeing an uptake of 120%.

“Over the past 12-months South Africa has excelled all countries in the region, becoming the fastest growing market for us on the continent,” said Ted Nelson, chief commercial officer of Truecaller.

“With the positive momentum of growth, we are confident this is the right timing for us to expand our presence and start engaging more deeply with the ecosystem,” he added. 

Truecaller will also make their services available to those who only have access to feature phones, but unlike the app it will come at a cost.

According to Nelson the app is currently free, with the option of upgrading to their professional experience, which predominantly removes ads.