Truecaller expands Lite app in Nigeria as spam and fraud calls surge

Truecaller, the global caller identification and spam-blocking platform, has expanded the rollout of its lightweight mobile application, Truecaller Lite, in Nigeria, targeting millions of users of entry-level Android smartphones amid rising concerns over phone scams and unwanted calls.

The company said Nigeria was among the first countries globally to receive the new application earlier this year, with feedback from local users helping shape its wider expansion into 11 additional markets across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The move comes as fraud and spam calls continue to increase across Nigeria, where low-cost Android devices remain the dominant gateway to internet access for millions of people.

According to Truecaller, Nigeria was Africa’s most spammed country in 2025, with 51 percent of all unknown calls received by users on its platform identified as either spam or fraudulent. The figure implies that more than one out of every two unknown calls received by Nigerians could be linked to scams, telemarketing, or other unwanted communications.

The company said the new Lite application was developed specifically for smartphones with limited storage, memory, and processing capacity, a segment that accounts for a significant share of devices used across Nigeria and other emerging markets.

Unlike simplified versions of existing applications, Truecaller said Lite was built as a standalone Android app. At approximately 10 megabytes in size, it offers core services including caller identification, spam and fraud blocking, number search, contact management, and default dialer functionality.

The application relies on the same database that powers the main Truecaller platform, which the company said identified more than 68 billion spam and fraudulent calls globally in 2025.

“Safe communication should not depend on the phone you have,” said Rishit Jhunjhunwala, Chief Executive Officer of Truecaller.

“The next billion users live in markets where entry-level devices are often the norm. Truecaller Lite is a new product built specifically for them, and it was important for us to provide the same protection from spam and fraud that users expect from Truecaller around the world,” he said.

Nigeria remains a key market for the Stockholm-headquartered company, which has increasingly focused on emerging economies where smartphone penetration is growing rapidly but device affordability remains a major consideration.

Industry analysts note that cyber fraud and mobile scams have become a growing concern across Africa’s largest economy, with criminals increasingly exploiting voice calls, SMS messages, and social engineering tactics to target consumers.

The launch also reflects a broader strategy among technology companies to optimise applications for lower-end smartphones, particularly in developing markets where consumers often face storage constraints and limited device performance.

Following its initial rollout in Nigeria and Colombia, Truecaller Lite is now being introduced in countries including Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Bangladesh and Indonesia.