Truecaller by True Software Sandinavia AB -- concerned!!!!!

[StoneRyno]

This seems like the best forum section to post this. I have contacted the app tech support. Yet the problem persists despite the conclusion of support that the problem was "a bug" and that they fixed "the bug" and following to the letter directions to make sure there was no trace of the app after uninstalling it and then installing whatever the latest version what that "fixed it" the problem has not gone away. Here is the problem:

My default messaging app in android settings is the built in messaging app of my LG G4. True caller has a setting to make it the default messaging app. It is NOT set to make it the default messaging app. In android permissions truecaller does NOT have permission for messaging. But yet one of my friends and only that one friend; truecaller intercepts all messaging from him instead of it appearing in the built in messaging app that is set as default. Because this persisted despite following the directions to the letter and claim that they "fixed it" I contacted support again on the issue and have been ignored (they have had over a month to respond).

In essence what is happening here is somehow this app is bypassing user choice and android security to be doing this. My dilemma here is that I want to be able to know more info than just a 10 digit number on incoming calls without having to google search each number. In a nut shell is this incoming call spam or not. But the info also provides a sort of caller ID because for example if it is the local auto repair calling me and they aren't stored in my contacts the name of the business calling is shown. So I know "ok that is a call to answer because it's not spam". And at the same time I don't want an app that is bypassing user choice and android security doing something I don't want it to do.

I see my option as change to another app that does exactly the same thing (until finding truecaller the almost a dozen apps tried wasn't suitable). But there is also the area of my concern do I need to report this app for "the problem" to google or whatnot because it is doing what it is doing? What's crazy is that I'd been using the app for years where "the problem" was not a problem.

 

[Rukbat]

This seems like the best forum section to post this.

No, this is the section for developers to post notices about the apps they release. I'm moving it to Ask a Question.

In android permissions truecaller does NOT have permission for messaging.

Did it ask you to give it permission on the next page that would pop up (or did that page just pop up) - and you gave it permission? (How you give an app permissions has changed in recent Android versions.)

I contacted support again on the issue and have been ignored (they have had over a month to respond).

There's nothing we can do about that. We're not them.

My dilemma here is that I want to be able to know more info than just a 10 digit number on incoming calls without having to google search each number. In a nut shell is this incoming call spam or not. But the info also provides a sort of caller ID because for example if it is the local auto repair calling me and they aren't stored in my contacts the name of the business calling is shown. So I know "ok that is a call to answer because it's not spam". And at the same time I don't want an app that is bypassing user choice and android security doing something I don't want it to do.

If the caller isn't sending a callerID (or is sending a spoofed one) that's what you get. The app works by callerID. (And SIP trunks supply their own callerID. And that's where almost all of these spam calls are coming from. Not just SIP trunks, but overseas SIP trunks.)

I see my option as change to another app that does exactly the same thing (until finding truecaller the almost a dozen apps tried wasn't suitable).

There's no app that can identify the caller aside from the 10 digit number. If they're supplying a spoofed one, that's what the app will identify, not the real caller. (That's how the telephone system works, an app can't change that.)

But there is also the area of my concern do I need to report this app for "the problem" to google or whatnot because it is doing what it is doing? What's crazy is that I'd been using the app for years where "the problem" was not a problem.

Google has nothing to do with them either. As long as the app isn't doing anything illegal or malicious, Play will keep it listed.

 

[VidJunky]

OK you got a little off track with your explanation of what the app is supposed to do if I'm reading your question correctly. This is a caller ID app that will also do SMS. You have not given it permission to be your default SMS but you have one contact that continues to have their messages delivered by this app. Is this correct?

I guess my questions would be;

Does this contact have the app? Are they using it as their default SMS? Services like this may try to show the benefits of using them, in this case, by delivering messages sent from other users. There may be no way to stop this but this leads to my next question.

If you open the app and act like you are going to send an SMS using it, or select "share" with a link or something and then choose this app, are you given a warning that this is not your default SMS app? If you are receiving this warning or being asked if you would like to make this your default the device securities seem to be working. So if not the first question or the second perhaps the next...

What is different about this one contact from any of your others? Why would their messages and only theirs come through this way? Are they an iPhone user? Are they sending you messages from a laptop or PC application? Are they on some strange carrier, Boost, Avalon, Obama phone? What app are they using for SMS?


Honestly I just went to the app to see what the reviews are like and pulling up just the 1 star reviews I must have come across almost a hundred just this month. Some deal with ads, some with how the service works but many were long time users who say it simply isn't working correctly. People are still being charged after canceling the service, it drains batteries, it cannot be shutdown even with Force Stop... I don't know but personally I might seriously consider another app. Just me, just saying. Someone at the app does respond to some of the reviews (probably respond more to actual issues submitted correctly) but some pretty big items are going unanswered. It might be worth it to clearly and concisely report your issue to Google and see if they look into it, but this may not make TrueCaller fix the app, probably won't get you any refunds or anything like that but if the app is truly bad something will happen.

Best wishes

 

[StoneRyno]

OK you got a little off track with your explanation of what the app is supposed to do if I'm reading your question correctly. This is a caller ID app that will also do SMS. You have not given it permission to be your default SMS but you have one contact that continues to have their messages delivered by this app. Is this correct?

Sorry about that I think i merged what the app does and what purpose it was serving to me and what a replacement would need to do. Yes you are correct in your statement.

I guess my questions would be;

Does this contact have the app? Are they using it as their default SMS? Services like this may try to show the benefits of using them, in this case, by delivering messages sent from other users. There may be no way to stop this but this leads to my next question.

Yes he is using the app and also as his messaging app.

If you open the app and act like you are going to send an SMS using it, or select "share" with a link or something and then choose this app, are you given a warning that this is not your default SMS app? If you are receiving this warning or being asked if you would like to make this your default the device securities seem to be working. So if not the first question or the second perhaps the next...

I am not warned about sending a message to the same contact who is sending to me and is ending up in truecaller. But if I do the same and try to send to my brother It asks me for permission to become the default messaging app.

What is different about this one contact from any of your others? Why would their messages and only theirs come through this way? Are they an iPhone user? Are they sending you messages from a laptop or PC application? Are they on some strange carrier, Boost, Avalon, Obama phone? What app are they using for SMS?

From phone using truecaller and yes different carrier as well. So it looks like this is an issue in design or something; and truecaller is not respecting the users decision on default messaging app if someone else also is using truecaller as their default messaging app.

Honestly I just went to the app to see what the reviews are like and pulling up just the 1 star reviews I must have come across almost a hundred just this month. Some deal with ads, some with how the service works but many were long time users who say it simply isn't working correctly. People are still being charged after canceling the service, it drains batteries, it cannot be shutdown even with Force Stop... I don't know but personally I might seriously consider another app. Just me, just saying. Someone at the app does respond to some of the reviews (probably respond more to actual issues submitted correctly) but some pretty big items are going unanswered. It might be worth it to clearly and concisely report your issue to Google and see if they look into it, but this may not make TrueCaller fix the app, probably won't get you any refunds or anything like that but if the app is truly bad something will happen.

Best wishes

It sounds like I'm not the only one experiencing issues using the app based on what you saw. I've been using the app far too long to expect any refunds (If I had spent money on the app). But if it is worth reporting to google that the app doesn't respect the users choice of default messaging app in this particular case I will. So I'm in the boat of looking for a good alternative that will help me block calls and also provide details about the callers. Truecaller blocks calls based on a few settings in the app but also based on a spam caller list. Outside of that the info displayed to me when someone calls is a name of some kind be it "UberDupperSpammer" or the name of the business if it is a legitimate call I may want to take. And if it is a spam caller the number of spam reports it has if it has not been added to the spammer list for blocking. As far as I can tell other than a few bonus features outside of this stuff is what you get if you pay. So I would need the replacement app to do what I used truecaller for free or a reasonable one time bought the app price. I am not interested in paying out monthy. Though to be honest free would be preferred. After all I can get free spam filtering on my email, and on my browser, and when it comes to phones I expect the same level of free protection from that sort of thing. Paying for said is like paying the criminals protection money.

 

[VidJunky]

No you are definitely not alone in having issues with this app. Meanwhile it would seem that you have answered your own question in your reply. This is a service, slightly different than being just an app. Services like this, like Tango, like Google, like Samsung and others want you to buy-in to what they can do. What they can sell you or what part of you they can sell. You may see this as them violating some understanding where if you do not want to send SMS using their service and to you this also means that you do not want to receive any messages though their service. However, I would be willing to bet if you looked through those TOS, that we all read so carefully, agreeing with every word before even downloading the app, there's something in there about receiving inner service notifications/messages from other service users. A perk to them, an annoyance to you.

Now you seem resolved to end your agreement with this service. Personally the reviews alone are not to my taste and I would have serious reservations about its use on my device but that's me. You have already seen past that, evidently liked everything up until this one incident and struggle to find anything to give you what they provide. Is it worth giving up on it just because you didn't read the TOS? If you're not having the issues of the other users and this is your one and only complaint, you might want to weigh your reaction.

Best wishes

 

[StoneRyno]

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. You nailed my current thoughts more or less in the post. I'm torn between trying to get this issue to change so that I can continue to use the app or find something else. In my experience it might be more effort to deal with getting the issue changed vs finding the alternative. At least we nailed down why the issue was happening instead of being stonewalled by contacting the app support who seems to have originally acted like this was a bug and got me to jump through hoops hoping that I wouldn't care if the issue continued or perhaps something else changed to keep me thinking it was some sort of bug if it never happened again.

EDIT: a preliminary google search makes me hopeful on the front of finding an alternative. A top 7 list of best apps that are alternatives to truecaller.

 

[ekuttan]

But yet one of my friends and only that one friend; truecaller intercepts all messaging from him instead of it appearing in the built in messaging app that is set as default.

Looks like your friend is sending you chat messages, not SMSs.
Truecaller Chat lets you chat with your friends and it uses your data connection instead of SMS. You can read more about Truecaller Chat from this blog post: https://truecaller.blog/2018/10/03/truecaller-launches-chat-feature-to-combat-fake-news/#more-5695