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communications platform, Tuecaller, has launched a completely free to use app, Open Doors, to allow users to enjoy safe, secure and private audio conversations. The app, whose interface is set to be available in English, Hindi, Spanish, Latin and French, with more languages to be added later on user demand, will be available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It also works seamlessly across both smartphone platforms.
“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.”
The new app has a simple onboarding process. If you are already a Truecaller user, you can sign in with just one tap. If you’re not a Truecaller user, your phone number will be verified using a missed call or a one-time password (OTP). The app needs only two permissions: contacts (so that you can share the app, or connect with people in your contacts who have also installed it) and phone permission (needed to have audio conversations). Participants in a conversation cannot see each other’s phone number.
“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. 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,” Zarringhalam said, adding that conversations are real-time and moderated by the community, just like Truecaller.
He noted that conversations through the app are not stored anywhere and neither can someone listen in “without you knowing”. “We expect participants to foster a safe, inclusive and respectful environment during conversations,” he said.
Innovations that are already in the works, thanks to a beta tester group, are the ability to set a close circle of contacts (so that others in your contacts who have Open Doors will not always get a notification when you start a conversation), the ability to react to what people are saying and precise control over how the app notifies you of new conversations.
