Tips to Improve Privacy in Truecaller App on Android Phones

If you use Truecaller app in your Android smartphone or iPhone, you must immediately apply important tips given in this article to improve your privacy and security.

Truecaller is one of the most popular and widely used call identification or caller ID apps for smartphones. It’s available for both Google Android smartphones as well as Apple iPhone. Truecaller helps users in identifying unknown callers in advance before taking an incoming call and blocking spam calls. Now Truecaller also enables call recording on Android as well as Apple iPhone.

Truecaller has a huge phone number database and it displays the caller name, location and other useful information on the incoming call screen. As soon as the user receives a call from an unknown number which is not saved in user’s contacts, Truecaller searches the number in its database and shows the caller information on the call screen.

I also personally use Truecaller app in my Samsung Galaxy smartphone as well as Apple iPhone mini to prevent spam calls and messages.

But Truecaller also comes with a few extra features which can leak or share your private data to other users. If you are concerned about privacy, you must read this article and follow the instructions given below to improve your privacy.

What Kind of Data is Shared by Truecaller App on Your Smartphone?

Following are a few data types which are enabled by default and shared by Truecaller app automatically when you install the app in your device:

• Last seen/Online status (similar to WhatsApp)
• Tell others when you view their profile
• Your device information such as smartphone brand, model number, etc
• Your profile data (obviously)
• Usage and diagnostics data
• Your call patterns
• Auto-join chat groups invitation, send read receipts, typing indicators

Many smartphone users just install the app and forget about customizing or configuring its settings to turn off extra unnecessary features or options which might share unwanted personal data and information with Truecaller servers.

Fortunately, it’s possible to disable or turn off all above mentioned telemetry and data collection features in Truecaller via its settings and I always disable these unwanted features to improve privacy in my mobile phones.

If you are also using Truecaller in your smartphone and worried about privacy, the steps given below will help you in disabling all unnecessary features in Truecaller app and improving privacy and security of your device.

STEP 1: Open Truecaller Settings Page in Your Smartphone

First of all we’ll need to open Truecaller Settings page. You can tap on the 3-dots menu icon present on the top-right corner in Truecaller app and select Settings option.

Alternatively, you can tap on your user profile icon or avatar present on the top-left corner and then tap on the Settings (cog wheel) icon present on the top-right corner in Truecaller app.

It’ll open Truecaller Settings page in your smartphone.

STEP 2: Customize Privacy Center Settings in Truecaller

Privacy Center page in Truecaller app contains the maximum privacy options that should be disabled to improve the privacy. When you open Truecaller Settings page, tap on Privacy Center option and customize following options:

OFF – Availability (it’ll disable your last seen or online status)

ON – View profiles privately (it’ll not inform others when you view their profile)

ON – Search profiles privately (it’ll not inform others when you search their phone number or profile)

OFF – Share anonymized data (it’ll disable usage and diagnostics data collection) (must disabled)

OFF – Social graph (it’ll disable your call patterns analysis) (must disabled)

PS: A few options might require premium account before modifying. In my opinion, Truecaller should allow all users (free as well as paid) to customize all options available on Privacy Center page.

STEP 3: Turn Off Personalized Ads, Deals, Offers and Promotions in Truecaller

Truecaller also collects data and shows ads, deals and promotional offers personalized for you based on the collected data. You can disable them using following steps:

While you are on Privacy Center page in Truecaller Settings, do as following to disable extra ads, deals and promotional offers in Truecaller app:

Tap on “Control how ads appear to you” option and set both the options “Show me relevant ads” and “Get deals and promotions” to NO.

It’ll stop Truecaller from collecting your profile data, device information and usage data to show personalized ads, promotions and offers.

STEP 4: Disable Unnecessary Chat and Groups Features in Truecaller App

Truecaller also comes with built-in chat and groups feature and anyone can invite or add you to their chat groups without your permission. You should disable these bloatware using following steps:

When you open Truecaller Settings page, tap on Messaging option and customize following options:

OFF – Auto-join groups (it’ll restrict other people from adding you to their chat groups)

OFF – Read receipts (it’ll stop sending or receiving read receipts for incoming and outgoing messages)

OFF – Typing indicator (it’ll stop letting other people know when you are typing or sharing media in messages)

You can also disable “Smart notifications“, “Smart reminders” options and enable “Hide transactions” options available on Messaging page.

Related: [Tip] Keep Using Truecaller’s Caller ID Feature but Disable SMS Messaging Support

Once you modify all above mentioned options, it’ll restrict and prevent Truecaller app from collecting your data and you’ll have maximum privacy in your device.

Also Check:

[Fix] Truecaller Not Working in iPhone, Not Showing Caller’s Name

[Fix] Truecaller Replaced Your Smartphone’s Stock or Default Calling Screen

Things to Know Before Switching to iPhone from Android