If you’re fed up with the number of scam calls coming through to your mobile phone and you’re also an O2 customer, then you might be pleased to know your smartphone is about to get a handy free update that’s designed to help you work out exactly who is calling. The mobile network provider is rolling out new caller identification technology to millions of customers that aims to give you extra details about who is calling if you don’t recognise the number on the screen.
The new service is called Brand ID, and O2 says it will appear on your phone as a free upgrade in the coming months if you’re a pay monthly O2 customer – though pay as you go customers will miss out. The firm says the new tech, which pops up automatically when someone calls, will give you peace of mind when answering incoming calls and can display the name and logo of a legitimate company calling you, along with the number.
“As part of our relentless efforts to stop the scammers, we’re rolling out next-generation caller ID to provide our customers with reliable information about who is calling before they even pick up the phone,” said Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2.
“By giving them confidence in who is calling and why, customers will be better able to spot fraudulent call attempts and ensure they’re only speaking to people and organisations they want to.”
Android phones will get the smart free upgrade first starting this month, with iPhone users getting the tech from September. O2 notes that not all calls will be labelled however, and that you could still get calls from legitimate businesses without seeing their name or logo on the screen.
If you think you’re getting a spam call, you’ll be able to tap to block or report the number to O2. You can also currently forward suspected scam texts to O2 on 7726 for free.
O2 has partnered with security firm Hiya to build Brand ID, which has also been adopted by 150 UK businesses. Recent research from Hiya revealed that 46 percent of unidentified calls are ignored, and an astonishing 92 percent of people admitted they suspected unidentified calls to be fraudulent.
O2 says it also plans to introduce another free anti-spam feature later this year powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that should also help you work out whether the person calling is friend or foe.
