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Google Businesses Communications

Google's New 'Verified Calls' Feature Will Tell You Why a Business is Calling You (techcrunch.com) 69

Posted by msmash from the moving-forward dept.
Google today is introducing a new feature for Android phones that will help legitimate businesses reach their customers by phone by having their brand name and reason for calling properly identified. From a report: The feature, known as "Verified Calls," will display the caller's name, their logo, a reason why they're calling, and a verification symbol that will indicate the call has been verified by Google. The feature arrives at a time when spam calls are on the rise. U.S. consumers received 61.4 billion spam calls in 2019, according to a recent report from RoboKiller, representing a 28% increase from the prior year. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission also says that unwanted calls, are its top consumer complaint. Google's new system gives legitimate businesses a way to share their information with consumers along with their reason for calling on the incoming call screen. This, however, only works with those participating businesses who have chosen to sign up with one of Google's partners in order to have their calls verified. According to Google's website for the service, businesses can get started with Verified Calls by working with a partner such as Neustar, JustCall, Telecall, Zenvia, Prestus, Aspect, Five9, Vonage, Bandwidth, IMImobile, Kaleyra, Quiubas Mobile, or Datora.
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Google's New 'Verified Calls' Feature Will Tell You Why a Business is Calling You More

Google's New 'Verified Calls' Feature Will Tell You Why a Business is Calling You

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  • If the number isn't in my address book (Score:3)

    by beepsky ( 6008348 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:06PM (#60485168)
    If the number isn't in my address book the call is unwanted spam.

    • "If the number isn't in my address book the call is unwanted spam."

      If it's not in mine, the phone won't even acknowledge its existence.

    • Re:If the number isn't in my address book (Score:5, Insightful)

      by WankerWeasel ( 875277 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:19PM (#60485218)
      Never gotten a call from the hospital or someone else to let you know about in incident with a loved one? Never had a loved one lose their phone or be unable to reach out using their own phone and have to borrow someone else's? Never had a friend or family member change phone numbers? While it'd be nice to say that I don't want calls from anyone not in my phonebook, there are very much real situations in which I want to receive calls from numbers I don't know.

      • Re:If the number isn't in my address book (Score:4, Informative)

        by thomn8r ( 635504 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:28PM (#60485266)

        Never gotten a call from the hospital or someone else to let you know about in incident with a loved one?

        This is /. - there are no "loved" ones

      • To answer your questions, no to all of the above.

        If it's an important message, they can leave a voicemail. Otherwise, send me an email and I'll get back to you.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          Serious question: do people actually use voicemail on either end?

          My reaction when I hear voicemail announcement is to just hang up. Regardless of issue. Because I know it's a dead end that no one I know listens to. You may as well shout your message into your phone after you hang up.

          • I look at mine because I use Google Voice for it. I get a rough transcript of the message. And it’s entirely possible for the caller to hear four rings followed by voicemail, when my phone never rings. If you don’t leave a voicemail (even if it’s just “call me”), I’ll never know you called. iPhone on Verizon.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Altus ( 1034 )

            if someone had an important message for me they will leave a voicemail. Companies almost always do as do people. When it comes to folks I know, no one would call me without a reason important enough to leave a voice mail.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

              Like I said, no one can be relied on voice mail today. I may as well hang up and then leave my message. This has a similar success rate of getting the message through.

              If I have something that is important for me, I'll hang up after hearing it going to voice mail and try to find other ways to contact you. If its something important for you, then you can call back. Or you can go without whatever it was that was important for you that I was calling about.

          • Serious question: do people actually use voicemail on either end?

            Obviously I do. And so do the people who leave me voicemails, both on my personal number and at work.

            If you hang up when you hear a voicemail recording that is not the fault of the person, it's your own fault. If you don't leave a message you can't complain people don't get in touch with you.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

              Like I said, in most cases leaving a voicemail has the same chance of reaching recipient and hanging up and then stating the same message.

              So if I need to get a message through, I'll use other means, such as SMS, email, instant messaging and so on. I don't waste my time or energy on something that no one I ever heard checking. You're pretty much the first person I ever heard that actually checks their voicemail. Even the other person answering this question categorically said that they do not listen to their

      • Reasonable people will leave a voicemail if you don't answer. Even if people I know don't leave a voicemail, I assume it wasn't important to them, and generally will take my time getting back to them. If it's an emergency like someone is in the ER or are lost/stranded/got robbed and don't have their own phone, they'd better have the presence of mind to leave a voicemail if I don't pick up for some reason.
      • That's a good point.
        Emergency services should have an exception from the rule, but everybody else can IM/SMS me (or email, that's even better).
        Phone calls are such a pain in the ass, they force me to stop and drop what I'm doing then pay attention until the person on the other end is done. Text is nice because it's faster and you can read it at your leisure.

      • Hell, never give your cell number to the company you ordered from so when the truck comes around, the driver can call you sign for and unload at the proper place?

        That one happens to me all the time.

        • Multiple local marketing agencies work for breweries in my area and they frequently courier our free beer to me. Those couriers call to arrange meetup and signing for the delivery. If I didn't answer, I wouldn't get free beer.
    • That just makes you look like you have no social skills or are maybe a bit autistic.
    • Hey Man, I feel so boring today If u wanna fuck me tonight just visit my profile ==>> https://kutt.it/avrHUI [kutt.it]

  • There's no legitimate reason (Score:3)

    by Arthur, KBE ( 6444066 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:10PM (#60485186)
    I would ever want any calls from any business, whatsoever. If you're not in my contact list, there's nothing I have to say to you.
    • If the hospital was trying to contact you because your loved one was involved in an accident, you wouldn't want them to be able to get ahold of you? If a loved one was robbed of their purse and phone and had to borrow someone else's phone to get ahold of you, you wouldn't want them to be able to do so?

      • Any legitimate caller would leave a voicemail so I can call them back. A hospital would say something to the effect of "this is X hospital calling so and so. Please call us back". I can independently verify their number out of band and return their call.

        And if one of my family were in the hospital the first call i would get would be from another family member already in my contacts. Not from the hospital.

      • "If the hospital was trying to contact you because your loved one was involved in an accident, you wouldn't want them to be able to get ahold of you? "

        To perform my famous brain surgery? They couldn't get to us for thousands of years and now you're panicking?

        "If a loved one was robbed of their purse and phone and had to borrow someone else's phone to get ahold of you, you wouldn't want them to be able to do so?"

        There are protocols in place for such cases, we're not stupid even if we don't pick up the phone

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by rtb61 ( 674572 )

        Well I think it is pretty damned illegitimate for Google to run this scam to data mine businesses for their contact lists and when they contact their customers. Google can check exactly how well they are fucking your mind with advertising by noting the exact times communications are initiated. They wont stop at verifying businesses, they will verify you to, you can only call people with GOOGLES bloody permission.

        HOW FUCKING STUPID ARE YOU PEOPLE!!!

      • They can leave a fucking voicemail. I'm not picking up for random calls. This sounds like the kind of FUD that a telemarketer wants to plant to make sure people pick up the phone.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by 1s44c ( 552956 )

      Generally I agree, but every so often someone I do care to hear from calls from an unexpected number.

      We care about who's calling, not the fakeable caller ID number the call claims to come from. There really should be some better way to do this.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by DogDude ( 805747 )
      My business calls customers to sort out stuff all of the time. If we can't get a hold of you, then you don't get your stuff.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by mabinogi ( 74033 )

      You don't own a house, do you?

  • Does "verified by Google" mean ... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Alain Williams ( 2972 ) <addw@phcomp.co.uk> on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:14PM (#60485196) Homepage

    that they have paid Google some money, or does Google actually check something ?

    • Likely. But if that is the case, then Google has very good reason to make sure it's not just abused. The second they let companies abuse it folks will lose all trust in it, stop answering those calls, and make it worthless. So they have very good reason to make sure it's not taken advantage of by harassing callers.
      • The second they let companies abuse it folks will lose all trust in it,

        Its Google. Why would anyone trust them?

    • that they have paid Google some money, or does Google actually check something ?

      I can guarantee the spam outfits will be the first ones to jump through all the hoops to get "verified".

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by khchung ( 462899 )

      that they have paid Google some money, or does Google actually check something ?

      Yep, it means Google have checked that they have recorded who called you and why into your profile in their database. And that's regardless of whether the business paid them or not.

  • I'm calling to sell you something (Score:3)

    by holophrastic ( 221104 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:15PM (#60485202)

    I'm calling to sell you something.
    I'm calling to give you something.
    I'm calling to sell you something.
    I'm calling to give you something.
    I'm calling to sell you something.
    I'm calling to give you something.

    much better. thanks google. good job helping the scammers with their most difficult task: identifying the morons who'll buy from cold calls. way to take money from anyone, for anything.

    now, how about you charge me to block all verified calls -- it's not like my friends will be verified. My tile-guy won't be either. Nor will my painter, my plumber, or anyone else I call when I need something.

    In fact, it's a good bet that the only companies who will be verified will be the ones that I absolutely never want to talk to when they call me.

    Here's a grandiose notion that perhaps you haven't understood: if I want to talk to someone, I'll call them. Therefore, each and every single time someone calls me, I don't want to talk to them. Callbacks excepted of course.

    Oooh, oooh, make my mother type in her reason for calling, so when she's calling to tell me that my grandfather just died, I can read that first and then, well, then I guess I can deny the call?

    Does this just sound like a text-message to anyone else? A company could have always texted me and asked me if I want them to call me, or if I want to call them back.

    The problem was never that spam/scam "call". It was the interruption. So now, instead of interrupting me with a call, you'll interrupt me with a notification of a call. great. thanks.

    • > I'll call them. Therefore, each and every single time someone calls me, I don't want to talk to them.

      I hear ya. I might say the same thing, except for one problem. What if you and I want to talk to each other? I won't take your call and you won't take mine. I have another solution that works to filter out the spam and let the good calls through.

      Once in a while, I get a call that I'm glad I answered. I've received a couple frim my bank that mattered. Also the calls that increased my income 6X over

  • 61.4 billion spam calls? (Score:5, Funny)

    by thrillseeker ( 518224 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:17PM (#60485210)
    Apparently they didn't count the ones I get.

  • More information for Google to collect. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by GotNoRice ( 7207988 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:34PM (#60485286)
    So basically, google found a new way to collect even more info about you, what you are doing, and why you are doing it. I'd much rather have something like this handled by the FCC than by a private company who will use it for advertising purposes.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

      Considering the state of FCC in US, I would suggest this wouldn't be much better. Honestly, digital age may be at the stage where it needs dedicated deeply specialized bureaucracy to handle it.

  • Voice calling is dead - spam killed it (Score:3)

    by sinij ( 911942 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:34PM (#60485288)
    With so many spam calls I don't know anyone who answers voice calls from unknown numbers. I do not.

  • Band-Aid(R) on the problem (Score:4, Insightful)

    by QuietLagoon ( 813062 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @02:39PM (#60485310)
    How do the spam calls get into the phone network in the first place? Solve the problem at the root, don't put a Band-Aid(R) on the symptom.

  • because fuck google. They're not getting even more invasive wrt my shit.

  • So, this is just verified spam? My business calls individuals all of the time without paying somebody else to do it. We pick up a phone and dial a number.
  • You don't need anything Google-related to handle spam calls.
    Just don't answer the phone for numbers that you don't recognize.
    Skilled spamcallers will spoof numbers anyway so there's a chance you'll see a recognized number and it's spam or scam or phish anyway.
    If it's a legitimate call they'll leave voicemail. If they don't that's their tough luck I guess.
    This has been my policy for at least the last 30 years and it's worked well for me, it should work well for everyone, with the exception of if you're a

  • The Caller ID system is the worse. Anyone can mess up the caller ID.
    If I get a number, I want to call that number back and get the same telephone that called me.

    Cases which are legitimate reasons to mask caller ID, It should go back to a real telephone number (of the responsible business) and should be setup with the Phone Company and the Business with proper paperwork, validation and having paid a fair amount of money for the service.

    At this current state, I get calls from Local Numbers and if I were to

  • If a legit business calls me, I typically have some notion as to why. I ordered something, or I have an appointment, or I forgot to pay them. All that's left is "verified" cold calls about some special. So instead of ignoring the call, I get to read a short ad in the Google popup before ignoring the call.

  • Capitalism (Score:3)

    by jandoe ( 6400032 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @03:08PM (#60485404)

    I like it how in US the only way to solve any issue is to let some corporation make money off of it.
    Next up, Amazon run 'verified suspect' to solve police shootings and Apple's iBribe to solve political party funding.

  • This company uses machine learning and voice recordings to keep frustrated telemarketers on as long as possible after you merge calls with them: jollyrogertelephone.com

  • Would I like to know the reason why someone is calling me? Sure. Is it worth the cost of Google knowing why someone is calling me? No freaking way. And stop talking to me in hangouts because you're subjecting me to Google-probes there as well.
  • After I turned on call screening by google, the number of spam calls reduced. The spamming algos seem to learn my number is using call screening and avoid it.

  • Hmm... also tell Google why (Score:3)

    by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @03:48PM (#60485538)

    ... Verified Calls," will display the caller's name, their logo, a reason why they're calling, ... This, however, only works with those participating businesses who have chosen to sign up with one of Google's partners in order to have their calls verified.

    So, not only will Google have a call record of who I'm doing business with, but why and, by extension, what would be discussed? Can't imagine I want Google to know even more about me and what I'm doing with whom. No thanks.

  • How soon will Microsoft release such a feature and rename it “Microsoft Verifiable Calls”

  • Spam calls didn't kill the phone call. We did (Score:3)

    by bjdevil66 ( 583941 ) on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @04:26PM (#60485646)

    With the internet and texting, we found better, faster, more comfortable (i.e. easier & safer) ways to communicate. A "left-swipe" on the phone is a LOT more personal and awkward.

    Also, this Google plan sounds a lot like the Extended Validation Certificates [troyhunt.com] that Microsoft came up with a decade or so ago. This Google-built super caller ID tech will probably be gone in a similar fashion after 1) it has too low of an adoption rate and Google kills it, or 2) the telecoms implement something better and/or cheaper as part of their bundles (so you don't have to be a participating business that has "chosen to sign up with one of Google's partners in order to have their calls verified." It'll Just Work,

  • ...And why exactly should I trust Neustar, JustCall, Telecall, Zenvia, Prestus, Aspect, Five9, Vonage, Bandwidth, IMImobile, Kaleyra, Quiubas Mobile, or Datora?

  • Due to their behavior, of being a sneakly, manipulative, active and deliberately harmful enemy to most people, I do not trust them in the first place.

    Them imposing themselves on others like a nanny, like that, only confirms my sentiment.

    They should not freakin know who is calling who and why in the first place!

    Also, advertisement that isn't based purely on verifiably statistically significant observations and hard logic, without any omissions (where lying by omission, or usig technicalities and loopholes, i

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