Facebook has launched Hello, a new app that manages incoming and outgoing calls using data from its vast social network. Currently available for Android in a public test version, the app can be used to block calls from commonly blocked numbers or to search Facebook for the numbers of people and businesses.
Hello automatically syncs with the user's previously recorded contacts and call history, making it an attractive alternative to the default dialer app in Android.
The app matches incoming calls to Facebook data in order to display any details the person or business in question has made public (name, profile picture, birthday, location, profession, etc.), regardless of whether the caller is in the Hello user's Facebook network.
Android users can also use Hello to find the number of a person or business on the social network and to call them over the phone's network or through Facebook Messenger's VoIP feature.
Hello is available for download on Google Play in the US, Nigeria and Brazil in a public test version. The app is not expected to launch for iOS in the near future.
The launch of public testing for Hello coincides with Google's announcement that it is building an MNVO to launch its own experimental wireless network, dubbed Project Fi.
Facebook currently boasts 1.44 billion active monthly users, including 1.25 billion who log in from mobile terminals. — AFP Relaxnews
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