Meet Truecaller's iOS Team
Antia Bagni
Sep 29, 20225 min read
Truecaller’s iPhone app has been completely rewritten from scratch, but who is behind all this? Keep reading to meet the iOS team.
How was the process of redoing the iOS app from scratch?
Exhilarating! It was a massive undertaking when we decided to rebuild the app. And it wasn’t just a rewrite of the app. It was a rewrite of multiple things - how we build our team, how we work, and how we think of making great products!
When we started to rebuild, we started thinking about everything from scratch. We kept the company values close to us and used them as a guiding principle while making any decision.
All in all, It was a tough ride riddled with many challenges, but now we’re on the other side of it.
Nakul Kabra, Product Manager
What were the main challenges you faced during the process?
While the app looks simple on the surface of it, there’s a lot happening underneath to keep it working the way it should. We had to build everything with utmost care and attention since we wanted to get it right on the first go!
Nakul Kabra, Product Manager
Using new technologies gave us a lot of new features, and ways of doing things. But a lot of challenges at the same time. Finding a balance between technology and product is the biggest challenge.
Nikolay Rodionov, Senior Software Engineer
The main challenge was making the project as modular and scalable as possible to be ready for rapid changes.
Ahmed Al-Naqah, Staff Software Engineer
The main challenge was choosing and designing appropriate architecture and the temptation to make everything ideal using the latest and coolest frameworks available.
Vasily Popov, Senior Software Engineer
The main challenge was dealing with so many choices a new project brings. We didn't want to be stuck with an implementation that was not ideal, so we experimented a lot, did many cycles of feedback with the team, and always went for reversible solutions.
Daniel Amarante, Senior Software Engineer
Truecaller's iOS Team
What are the primary improvements regarding user experience?
The old Truecaller app had many issues that needed significant improvements. First and foremost is the reliability of Caller ID, but there’s a lot more than that:
To give some examples, we improved the onboarding flow by making it cleaner and shorter. Also, the premium purchasing experience is better because you can compare features across various plans. All of this makes users understand how the app works in an easier way.
Moreover, we’ve redesigned the Share Contact Extension, which our users love. Now for any unidentified call, tap on ‘Share Contact’ and then ‘Search on Truecaller’ to quickly see who called you.
The app has been rewritten using the latest technologies available, like SwiftUI and Combine. Downloading and updating the app won’t consume too much data now. All of these things will definitely benefit iOS users.
Nakul Kabra, Product Manager
If you are curious to know all the details about this revamp, keep reading here or try this new version yourself:
Can you share one essential lesson you learn when working on the new iOS app?
Be fearless: A project of this magnitude can feel daunting, but a team that is fearless can get anything done.
Nakul Kabra, Product Manager
Experimenting and collaboration can help even if the task seems impossible.
Nikolay Rodionov, Senior Software Engineer
Every idea is worth exploring.
Ahmed Al-Naqah, Staff Software Engineer
Do not neglect old working and proven solutions in favor of modern and cool.
Vasily Popov, Senior Software Engineer
Always be ready for changes.
Daniel Amarante, Senior Software Engineer
Truecaller's iOS Team
What is the best part of working as a team on a project like this?
The team is full of creativity and productivity.
Nakul Kabra
Collaboration with a great team on challenging tasks using new technologies gives a new understanding of software development in general, and product specifically.
Nikolay Rodionov
The opportunity to have the team experimenting with cutting-edge technologies and sharing what we learned together.
Ahmed Al-Naqah
The opportunity to experiment with technologies, and sharing experiences, mistakes, and knowledge.
Vasily Popov
Seeing so many different perspectives on challenges we face and solutions. A new project like this really lets the team's creativity shine. Collaboration was what made this project the best it could be.
Daniel Amarante
What is next for the iOS app?
We’ve just got started with what we’re doing. Our mission is to help users identify every unknown call on iPhones. Over the next few months, we’ll be rolling out a bunch of new features like:
- Much better SMS Filtering.
- Widgets to ease using the app.
- The ability to view and contribute comments on Spammers.
During the launch of the new iPhone app, the team participated in a full-week hackathon. The iOS team worked to implement new features from the iOS 16 beta to our Truecaller app on iPhone.
Nakul Kabra
From left to right: Nakul, Nikolay and Anna during the Hackathon presentations
How did you come up with the idea of doing a hackathon?
At Truecaller, we always believe in the spirit of experimenting and trying new things. In the spirit of the launch of the new iOS app, the release of iOS 16 and the launch of new iPhones, we wanted to celebrate it in our own way by taking a week out to learn, experiment with things which we otherwise don’t plan to.
Nakul Kabra
Describe the Hackathon experience in five words or less.
Nakul: Everyone is a rockstar!
Nikolay: Broadening of knowledge.
Ahmed: Collaboration on innovation.
Vasily: Small ideas have big value.
Daniel: Fun and Mind-opening.
Do you think this kind of activity improves team spirit and creativity?
Definitely! And not just that, it does a lot more. It gives the team the confidence to express their thoughts and work in a very different way. People who don’t usually get to work together use this as a chance to collaborate and create new products that were never thought of before.
Nakul Kabra
Do you want to build a career you love?
Antia Bagni
Sep 29, 20225 min read