There is nothing more vexing than a spam call right when you’re in the most productive phase of your work. Well, Google is here to help with that problem. The company is today launching a new feature called Verified Calls in the Phone app that will identify the name of the business calling you, why they are calling, and if it is a verified business in the first place. A verified business is one that has been authenticated by Google itself, which essentially means a verified caller will be the least likely to spam you. And the good is news is that this feature is coming to more non-Pixel smartphones via the Phone app.

So, how do Verified Calls work? The search giant says that a business has to send its information to Google for verification. Now, when the business calls you, it sends its number, your phone number and the purpose of the call to Google’s server, and the same information is sent by Google to the Phone app on your device. Now, the information sent by the caller to your phone is compared with the information sent to Google, and if it matches, the call is classified as Verified. 

https://twitter.com/Google/status/1303363693384732674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Google says that it deletes your phone number from its servers within minutes of receiving the calls. Also, the company claims that it doesn’t collect any personally identifiable data after verification that can link it with call details, and neither is any data shared with businesses. Verified Calls is enabled by default, but you can opt out by following this path: Phone app > More > Settings > Caller ID and spam OR Spam and Call Screen > Turn off.

The verified badge at the top of a caller’s name is an indication that you can safely pick up the call and that there is most likely a genuine reason behind it from a verified business entity. The feature was first spotted testing back in June and is now available on devices on which the Phone app comes pre-installed. Additionally, Google says that the Phone app is now coming to more non-Pixel smartphones, bringing the useful Verified Calls feature to more users out there.