Google’s phone app seems to be getting a new verified calling feature that will show you a company name, logo, and the reason you’re calling. News of the feature first appeared on a Google support page that was spotted by Android Police. The function depends on a company providing your phone number, your phone number and the reason for your call directly to Google, which sends this information to the Phone app. If the information is aligned, the phone application grants the call a Verified Call badge.
It is a feature that has the potential to be enormously useful, not only to find out who is calling you, but also to know when it is worth taking a call in the first place. I am happy to answer the phone if my bank is calling to inform me of a problem with my account, for example, and this feature could be another way to help eliminate marketing calls and other spam.
Although Google says the feature is turned on by default, it does describe a couple of limitations on its support page. First, the fact that verified calls rely on companies proactively providing information to Google, meaning that not all calls without the verified badge will necessarily be spam. Google also says that the service only works on the Google Phone app, which means it won’t be available on all Android phones. It also relies on you adding your phone number to your Google account. Google says it will remove your phone number and reason for a call “in minutes” from the call verification.
