Challenge
According to TechCrunch, Truecaller - a popular mobile application that helps recognize callers, block spam calls, scams and spam messages - has more than 500 million users, of which India accounts for more than 70%. However, this application is entering a more difficult phase as growth slows down in its largest market and competition is increasing on telecommunications networks and smartphone platforms.
Truecaller is facing fierce competition as the Indian telecommunications industry offers solutions such as caller name display (CNAP), a dedicated number for verified business calls, and AI-based spam protection. Meanwhile, smartphone manufacturers, including Apple and Google, continue to integrate caller recognition and spam message blocking capabilities into their operating systems.
Truecaller's growth rate began to slow down. Data from Sensor Tower shows that downloads from India decreased by 16% compared to the previous year in 2025, while global downloads decreased by 5%, marking a reversal after many years of growth. Separate data from Appfigures shows that downloads peaked at 175 million in 2021, a sharp decrease in 2022 and since then fluctuating around 120 million per year.
Highlights and solutions
However, everything is not entirely disadvantageous for Truecaller as revenue from purchases in this application is increasing. Data from Appfigures shows that while the number of downloads has stagnated in recent years, gross revenue from transactions in the application has increased sharply - from 600,000 USD in 2017 to 39.3 million USD in 2025. As of April 20, this year, this figure has reached 13.4 million USD.
According to Appfigures, Truecaller's presence on iOS has also increased from below 5% of total downloads in the 2020-2021 period to about 11-12% in recent years, showing a shift to higher value markets.
The company has stepped up efforts on Apple's platform, including launching a real-time caller recognition feature for iPhone in early 2025 and deploying feature updates to improve features similar to its Android application.
However, Apple has recently expanded call filtering capabilities, which may reduce the demand for third-party applications for iPhone users.
Another important pillar in Truecaller's money-making strategy is the business service, Truecaller for Business, which allows companies to verify identities and contact customers via calls and text messages. This segment has grown steadily and the company plans to expand its service.
In parallel with promoting the business segment, Truecaller is also expanding the paid registration business for consumers, currently having more than 4 million paid subscribers globally, as more and more users choose features such as enhanced spam protection, artificial intelligence call filtering and no-advertising experience.
Despite many challenges, Truecaller still sees significant growth potential. Leaders said the company is focusing on addressing the increasing complexity of communication, as spam and phishing calls become more sophisticated thanks to advances in artificial intelligence.
