Rakuten Viber Is Adding Caller ID, Spam Filtering for Any Incoming Call – CNET

The Rakuten Viber chat app is including name screening options that might assist you keep away from spam, together with for calls that are not being made via Viber.

The messaging app introduced Tuesday that its new Caller ID characteristic, which can initially launch on Android, will establish any name after being turned on together with a warning for doable spam. This could possibly be very helpful for anybody with restricted Caller ID assist via their service, however would love any approach doable to keep away from these spam-like options.

Spam calls are being recognized via a mix of what Viber says is a spam rating aggregation and thru cellphone numbers reported by different Viber customers. When opted into the characteristic, customers will obtain publish-name choices that embrace redialing a quantity, reporting a quantity, messaging or saving a contact.

The characteristic additionally comes as Android cellphone makers proceed to include comparable options for avoiding spam calls. Most lately, Samsung has launched a Bixby Text Call characteristic that means that you can textual content a cellphone caller, together with your responses dictated utilizing the Bixby assistant. Google has additionally included its personal set of name screening options on its Pixel units, which let the Google Assistant display an incoming name utilizing guided prompts. However these choices from Samsung and Google require you to buy one among their telephones, however this Viber characteristic can be obtainable for anybody utilizing Android.

The characteristic is first launching internationally to Viber customers in Vietnam, Armenia and Moldova. A world rollout of the characteristic will proceed via the remainder of the 12 months. An iOS launch can also be deliberate, however a consultant from Viber stated that timing for it isn’t but obtainable.

While the Viber chat app is extra widespread internationally than within the US, with 1 billion energetic customers as of March 2020, a caller identification characteristic like this might present a purpose to make use of Viber even when you do not have associates or household utilizing it for texting. Robocalls of every kind have been a persistent thorn, and any new characteristic that helps struggle them for free, the higher.