Truecaller Introduces Voice Communication App Open Doors

Image

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

An app designed to aid communication among users via audio connection has been introduced by the world’s leading global communications platform, Truecaller.

The initiative, Open Doors, was launched on Wednesday and it will ensure safe, secure and private audio conversations among users after it is installed on the smartphone.

According to the firm, more features would be added to Open Doors based on feedback from users.

Truecaller said some innovations are already in the works after a small beta tester group, including the ability to set a close circle of contacts (so that others in contacts who have Open Doors will not always get a notification when a conversation is started), the ability to react to what people are saying and precise control over how the app notifies of new conversations.

The company said the app could be used with just one tap, especially for existing Truecaller users by signing in and for a non-Truecaller user, the phone number will be verified using a missed call or OTP.

The app needs only two permissions: contacts (so that you can share Open Doors, or connect with people in your contacts who also have Open Doors) and phone permission (needed to have audio conversations).  Participants in a conversation cannot see each other’s phone numbers.

As a user of Open Doors, you are in complete control at all times. You can start a conversation and leave at will. Your friends can join conversations when they get a notification or by clicking on a link you share. At launch, the app interface will be available in English, Hindi, Spanish, Latin and French, with more languages to be added later on user demand.

Once your friend joins the conversation, their friends will be invited too. Through the network effect, you can be joined by a large number of people very soon. Do keep in mind that conversations are real-time and moderated by the community, just like Truecaller. They are not stored anywhere and neither can someone listen in without you knowing. We expect participants to foster a safe, inclusive, respectful environment during conversations.

“Thanks to Truecaller being 13 years in the business, we’ve spent a great deal of time learning about how people communicate,” said Nami Zarringhalam, co-founder of True Software Scandinavia AB.

“Our new app Open Doors was born out of a simple question – how can we help people make new connections without being intrusive? And this is what we want to do: to bridge the world using the most natural form of communication, our voices,” Zarringhalam added.

Share
More Stories
Image
03-February-2023

Oil Steadies Amid Mixed US Economic Data, Looming Russian Ban

By Adedapo Adesanya Oil steadied on Thursday on mixed data about the state of the economy in the United States and looming sanctions on Russian energy products, which fell Brent crude futures by 5 cents to $82.79 a barrel, with West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) rising by 3 cents to $76.44 per barrel. An indicator of slowing in the US economy came as new orders for US manufactured goods rose broadly in December, while orders for industrial equipment and other machinery fell, according to the latest data from the Commerce Department. The department said on Thursday that factory orders increased

Image
13-April-2022

Stanbic IBTC Charts Course for Real Estate Development

Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, charted a new course for real estate investment in Nigeria. The financial institution was appointed to manage a real estate investment trust scheme, UPDC REIT, as confirmed by the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) in May 2021. The UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust (UPDC REIT) was listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) in the year 2008. The fund manager, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, was bestowed with the responsibility to implement the closed-ended fund’s investment strategy and other related activities. Since it took up management of the REIT, Stanbic

Image
03-November-2020

WhatsApp to Unveil Storage Management Feature

By Adedapo Adesanya WhatsApp will soon launch a feature that will give users more control over how much storage it uses on users’ phone and what it’s used for. This will make it easier for users free up valuable space in just a few taps. With this new addition to the app, WhatsApp will give users a new dashboard that will give them full control over how the app uses your valuable space. It’s already possible to clear out files downloaded by WhatsApp, but the update will make it much easier to identify, review and bulk delete the content that’s

Image
18-August-2018

Bargain Hunters Take Charge as Equities Gain N236b

By Dipo Olowookere After 10 consecutive days of sell-offs, especially by the foreign portfolio investors, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) got back to the green territory on Friday. This was as a result of activities of bargain hunters at the market, who ensured that the last trading day of this week ended positive. Though the stock market fell by 0.51 percent this week, the local bourse recorded a growth of 1.87 percent yesterday, reducing the year-to-date returns to -7.78 percent. Gains recorded by Dangote Cement and 14 other counters were enough to lift the market on Friday despite the price

Image
05-November-2018

Nigerian Companies Win at 2018 World Branding Awards

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Some top companies and organisations from Nigeria were outstanding at the recently concluded 2018 edition of the prestigious World Branding Awards. The ultimate global brand recognition accolade saw 270 brands from 33 countries named Brand of the Year in a glittering ceremony held at the State Apartments of Kensington Palace, England. Beijing Tong Ren Tang, BMW, Cartier, Club Med, JinkoSolar, Johnnie Walker, Lego, L’Oréal, Louis Vuitton, Nescafé, Rolex, Samsung, Schwarzkopf and Yakult were announced as global winners of this edition of the awards. Regional winners included Ajinomoto, Uniqlo (Japan); Giordano, Optical 88, Sasa, Shangri–La (Hong Kong); Indomie

Image
20-September-2020

Nigeria’s Youth Still Face Growing Challenges—Zopmal

By Kester Kenn Klomegah Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. It has approximately 210 million population. Nigeria has the third-largest youth population in the world, after China and India, with more than 90 million of its population under the age of 18. While this is considered as a huge human resource, the youth also face unprecedented challenges including growing unemployment and insecurity resulting from ethnic conflicts. As Nigeria is persistently engulfed with so many challenges and problems, it requires a systematic well-defined approach in order to overcome them and make way for a peaceful and promising future for

Image
04-July-2022

Unlimint Becomes Official Payment Provider of Telegram

By Aduragbemi Omiyale Telegram now has a payment provider and it is Unlimint, the global fintech firm. This will make it possible for users of the free cloud-based and cross-platform instant messaging service provider to make direct in-app purchases. Telegram allows its more than 500 million active users to send messages, photos, videos, and files of any type, and create groups for up to 200,000 people or channels for broadcasting to unlimited audiences. The payment integration powered by Unlimint is a result of modern consumers’ demands and a response to the evolution of online shopping. The integrated capabilities include paid

Image
01-July-2022

Bolt Strengthens Commitment to Safety With Bella

By Aduragbemi Omiyale A new archetype character aimed to improve customer experience and demonstrate its commitment to the safety of drivers and passengers has been introduced by an e-hailing platform, Bolt. The new persona called Bella is in fulfilment of the company’s promise to ease mobility in Nigeria and provide a better experience and safer journeys for its growing community of friends. Bella replaces the old character called Uche and it underscores the company’s companionship and willingness to introduce new features which enhance convenience on Bolt. This transition is coming after the platform recently launched a dedicated safety website (safety.bolt.eu/ng)

Ad
Ad
Recent Stories
Image
26-September-2023

NGX Performance Indices Drop 0.66% on Access Holdings’ Disappointing Interim Dividend

By Dipo Olowookere The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) kicked off the first trading session in the last week of the third quarter of the year on a negative note, with the key performance indices going down by 0.66 per cent on Monday. This was partly caused by the reaction of investors to the 30 Kobo interim dividend declaration of the board of Access Holdings Plc. A few days ago, its peer, UBA Plc, raised its interim dividend payment by 150 per cent to 50 Kobo and it was expected that Access Holdings would follow the same path. However, the company disappointed

Image
25-September-2023

Nigeria’s Internet Speed Averages 25Mbps

By Bliss Okperan Nigeria’s internet speed averages 25 megabits per second (Mbps), according to data from Surf Shark, a cybersecurity company focused on developing humanised privacy and security solutions. The ranking, contained in the 5th annual (Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL), showed that the country dropped two places to 7th from 9th within the last two years. A quick average analysis shows that at an average of 25 Mbps, Nigeria is far from the world’s fastest fixed internet Singapore, which is 300 Mbps and is ahead compared to the slowest fixed internet in the world, Yemen, which is 11

Image
25-September-2023

Bello Sacks Special Adviser Anthony Ogah

By Bliss Okperan The Kogi State Governor, Mr Yahaya Bello, has ordered the immediate removal of his Special Adviser on Stakeholders Relations, Mr Anthony Ogah. A statement issued on Monday by the Secretary to the Government of the state, Ms Folashade Ayoade, confirmed this development, though it did not state the reason surrounding the sacking of the Governor’s aide. However, it was disclosed that the termination of Mr Ogah’s appointment was with effect from Sunday, September 24, 2023. He has been directed to submit all government items. “In light of this press release, Mr Anthony Ogah is instructed to promptly

Image
25-September-2023

ASUU President Warns High School Fees Could Lead to Future Crisis

By Bliss Okperan The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, has warned the rising school fees of tertiary institutions in Nigeria could backfire in the future if nothing is done by the federal government to stop it. Speaking on Channels TV Sunday Night, the union leader said in two years’ time, about 40 to 50 per cent of students in universities across the country could drop out of school because of their inability to pay the high fees. The don urged the federal government to stop the arbitrary increment in school fees by

Image
25-September-2023

Adelabu Calls for Collective Efforts Towards Nigeria’s Energy Sector

By Adedapo Adesanya The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, has called for collective efforts to shape the energy sector in Nigeria, noting that no meaningful economic growth can be achieved without it. Mr Adelabu said this at the Nigeria Energy 2023 leadership summit recently held in Lagos, with the theme Unlocking new value with reforms, investments, and technology which saw in attendance industry leaders. The Minister said, “Energy is the lifeblood of any modern economy of which Nigeria is no exception. No meaningful economic growth or industrial development can be achieved without energy. “We can be talking of potential

Image
25-September-2023

NASD OTC Bourse Extends Green Run by 0.41% in Week 38

By Adedapo Adesanya The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange continued its weekly positive run as it extended its gains by 0.41 per cent in the 38th week of trading in this year. The bullish posture was supported by the improvements in the share prices of six companies admitted to the alternative stock exchange in Nigeria. This increased the NASD Unlisted Securities Index (NSI) by  2.30 points from 805.65 points in the previous week to 808.95 points, as the market capitalisation of the bourse was relatively unchanged on a week-on-week at N1.140 trillion. Food Concepts Plc led the price gainers’ after

Image
25-September-2023

Cardoso Must Clear FX Backlog, Create Autonomous Forex Window—CPPE

By Adedapo Adesanya The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has called on the newly appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, to clear the backlog of foreign exchange as well as guarantee another recapitalisation in the banking sector. “The clearance of the backlog of forex obligations should be accorded high priority to restore the confidence of domestic and foreign investors,” the Managing Director of CPPE, Mr Muda Yusuf said in a press statement titled Ten Point Agenda For The CBN Governor, released over the weekend. Mr Cardoso and four new deputies on

Image
25-September-2023

Universal Insurance, Oando, UBA Emerge Busiest Stocks in One Week

By Dipo Olowookere The trio of Universal Insurance, Oando and UBA were the busiest stocks on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited last week, trading 2.212 billion units valued at N8.907 billion in 7,593 deals, contributing 56.56 per cent and 29.32 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively. In the week, investors transacted 3.911 billion shares worth N30.379 billion in 38,536 deals versus the 2.933 billion shares worth N47.449 billion exchanged in 44,654 deals in the preceding week. Financial stocks dominated with 2.774 billion units valued at N15.241 billion in 16,379 deals, contributing 70.92 per

Image
25-September-2023

Premiere Academy Student Emerges FCT’s Best Female Chess Player

By Aduragbemi Omiyale A student of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, Miss Sonia Nwakanma, has retained her position as the Best Female Chess Player in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the third year running. She clinched the latest accolade she first picked in 2021 at the prestigious Abuja Inter-School Chess Competition, rated by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Chess Players Association of Nigeria (CPAN). Miss Nwakanma, who is a member of the 2023 graduating set of the school, attributed her achievement to her school’s robust in-house sports and personal development facilities that offer students opportunities to compete with

Image
25-September-2023

Nigeria Risks Shortage of Fertilisers as EU Frustrates Supply

By Adedapo Adesanya Nigeria faces a crippling fertiliser shortage as 34,000 metric tonnes of Russian Fertiliser meant for Nigeria is stuck at ports in the European Union (EU) as a result of continued war in Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Minister, Mr Sergey Lavrov, confirmed this development on Saturday at the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, noting that 260,000 metric tonnes of Russian fertilisers have been stranded in EU ports since 2022. According to Russian News Agency, TASS, Mr Lavrov informed reporters that, “We are ready to give these fertilisers to African countries for free. It took six