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Caller ID

The caller ID can tell you who's calling if the number isn't on your contact list. It can identify both phone and messenger calls (via WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, and Viber).

Caller ID is free.

It can't access the content of your calls and messages.

How it works

Unknown numbers are run through a database that's regularly updated with the help of app user reviews among other data. When you enable caller ID for the first time, the database is downloaded to your device. It takes up to 80 MB depending on your region.

By default, the database is downloaded only via Wi-Fi so that you don't spend your mobile traffic. But if you want the caller ID to be more accurate, you can allow database updates via the mobile network.

How to allow database updates via mobile network

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.
  3. In the top-right corner, tap .
  4. Tap Offline search.
  5. Enable Download over Wi-Fi only.

The numbers are also checked against the Yandex Business database. If you get a call from a company that's recorded in Yandex Business, you can see its name and type. If an organization couldn't be recognized, the app tells you a probable category of the call. For example, "A possible ad".

Necessary permissions

Permissions are requested automatically when you enable caller ID. You can also grant permissions later in your device settings.

General permissions

Phone access

Required for determining the moment of an incoming call.

Access to contacts

Required for identifying calls from numbers that aren't on your contact list.

It also makes it possible to display contacts from your list in the call history.

Notification access

Required to identify audio and video calls in messengers.

Popup windows

Display information about an incoming call on your device screen during the call.

Internet access

Required for requesting information about a number in the database.

Additional permissions

A number of smartphone models require additional permissions.

Autostart

Automatically launches the app when there's an incoming call.

To grant permission:

  1. Go to Settings → Permissions.
  2. Tap Autostart.
  3. Enable Yandex Start.
Power usage

Keeps the app running when your battery is low.

To grant permission:

  1. Go to Settings → Battery & Performance.
  2. Tap Manage apps’ battery usage.
  3. In the app list, select Yandex Start.
  4. Select No restrictions.
Notifications

Display information about an incoming call on your device screen during the call.

To grant permission:

  1. Go to Settings → Notifications → App notifications.
  2. In the app list, select Yandex Start.
  3. Select a theme name for notifications and enable the Show notifications, Floating notifications, and Show on Lock screen options.

If the caller ID isn't displayed on the lock screen when you have an incoming call:

  1. Go to Settings → Permissions → Other permissions.
  2. In the app list, select Yandex Start.
  3. Enable the Lock screen option.
Power usage

Keeps the app running when your battery is low.

To grant permission:

  1. Go to Settings → Battery → App launch.
  2. Disable automatic management for Yandex Start.
  3. In the Manage manually menu that opens, switch all options to on.
  4. Tap ОК.

For some devices, you also need to do the following:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps.
  2. From the list of items, select Apps.
  3. At the top of the screen, tap .
  4. Tap Special access → Battery optimization.
  5. Tap Ignore battery optimization and select All apps.
  6. In the app list, select Yandex Start.
  7. Select Don't allow.
  8. Tap ОК.

For some devices, you also need to do the following:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps & notifications → Apps.
  2. At the bottom of the screen, tap Settings.
  3. Tap Special access → Ignore battery optimization.
  4. Tap All apps and select Yandex Start.
  5. Select Allow.
  6. Tap ОК.

For the caller ID to work when your device screen is locked:

  1. Go to Settings → Battery.
  2. Tap Background activity manager.
  3. In the app list, select Yandex Start.
  4. When you disable the option for Yandex Start, you'll see a "Don't close" label.
Caller ID

Identifies phone numbers during incoming calls.

  1. Go to Settings → App Management → Default apps.
    • Tap Caller ID & spam app and select Yandex Start.
    • Tap Digital assistant app → Default digital assistant app and select Yandex Start.
  2. Go to Settings → App Management → App list → Yandex Start.
    • Tap Permissions and allow access to your contacts and phone if it's restricted:
      • Select Phone, tap Allow, then tap to go back to Permissions.
      • Select Contacts, tap Allow, then tap to go back to Permissions.
    • Tap Display over other apps and enable Allow display over other apps.
    • Tap Modify system settings and enable Allow modify system settings.
    • Tap Picture-in-picture and enable Allow picture-in-picture.
Power usage

Keeps the app running when your battery is low.

  1. Go to Settings → App Management → App list → Yandex Start.
  2. Tap Battery → Battery optimization.
  3. Tap Not optimized and select All apps.
  4. In the app list, select Yandex Start.
  5. Select Not optimized and tap Done.
Caller ID

Identifies phone numbers during incoming calls.

  1. Go to Settings → App Management → Default apps.
    • Tap Caller ID & spam app and select Yandex Start.
    • Tap Digital assistant app → Default digital assistant app and select Yandex Start.
  2. Go to Settings → App Management → App list → Yandex Start.
    • Tap Display over other apps and enable Allow display over other apps.
    • Tap Modify system settings and enable Allow modify system settings.
    • Tap Picture-in-picture and enable Allow picture-in-picture.
Power usage

Keeps the app running when your battery is low.

  1. Go to Settings → App Management → App list → Yandex Start.
  2. Tap Battery → Battery optimization.
  3. Tap Not optimized and select All apps.
  4. In the app list, select Yandex Start.
  5. Select Not optimized and tap Done.

Enabling and disabling

Phone calls

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID.
  3. In the top-right corner, tap .
  4. Turn the Identify callers option on or off.
Messengers

Note

Identification of messenger calls only works for audio and video calls in WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, and Viber.

  1. Enable caller ID.

  2. Tap Services .

  3. Select Caller ID from the list.
  4. Under Messengers, enable Identify callers in messengers.
  5. Allow access to notifications so that Caller ID can send you notifications about incoming calls.

To not identify unknown messenger calls, disable Identify callers in messengers.

View call history

To view information about incoming calls:

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.

If you don't want calls from your contacts to be saved in the history:

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.
  3. In the top-right corner, tap .
  4. Turn on Hide calls from address book contacts.

Leave feedback on a number

If you want to report a number or the app incorrectly identified the call category, leave your feedback. You can do this at any time.

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.

  3. Tap the line with the number.
  4. To leave your feedback, answer the questions.

When your conversation ends, we may ask you a few questions. This happens when we think a phone number belongs to a certain category, but haven't collected enough data on it yet.

Call blocking

You can:

Block a category of numbers

Note

The feature is available on devices running on Android 10.0 and higher.

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.

  3. In the top-right corner, tap .

  4. Under Block calls, tap Allow blocking.

  5. In Calls to block, select the category:

    • Unwanted: Scammers, collectors, silent calls.
    • Advertisement for financial services: Advertising calls from banks, microfinance organizations.
    • Other advertisements: Other advertising calls.

  6. In How to block calls, select one of the following:

    • Decline immediately: Calls that meet the blocking conditions are automatically blocked. For you, it'll look as if the call never happened.
    • Silence: Calls come in silent, and you can pick up or decline.

Blocked calls will appear in the Caller ID call list.

Depending on the device and operating system, some calls may not appear in the list.

Block a specific number

Note

Blocking methods may differ depending on your device operating system and manufacturer.

If you receive a call

You can block a number:

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.

  3. In the call list, tap the number.

  4. Tap Block phone number.

    Note

    The number will be added to Caller ID's block list, not to the phone's block list.

  1. Open the Phone app.

  2. Go to Calls.

  3. Tap on the right of the call.

  4. Block the number in one of the following ways:

    • Tap Add to blocklist (on Android 10.0 and higher).
    • Tap  → Block this Caller.

    Note

    The path may vary depending on your device.

If you receive an SMS
  1. Open the message.
  2. To the right of the caller's name or number, tap  → Details.
  3. Select Block and report spam.

To view your list of blocked numbers, open the Phone app, go to Calls, and tap  → Settings → Blocked numbers.

Unblock numbers

Note

The path may vary depending on your device.

Unblock a specific number

There are three ways to unblock a number:

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.
  3. In the call list, tap the number.
  4. Tap Unblock phone number.
  1. Open your phone settings.
  2. Open the Phone app, go to Calls, and tap  → Settings → Blocked numbers.
  3. Tap the minus icon to the right of the number.

Note

The method is available on devices running Android 10.0 and higher.

  1. Open the Phone app.
  2. Go to Calls.
  3. Tap on the right of the call.
  4. Tap Unblock phone number.
Unblock a category of numbers

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.
  3. In the top-right corner, tap .
  4. Go to Block calls → Calls to block and disable the category of numbers that you want to unblock.
Unblock all numbers

Note

The method is available on devices running Android 10.0 and higher if you've blocked numbers through the Yandex Caller ID.

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.
  3. In the top-right corner, tap .
  4. Tap Delete blocked numbers.

Change the phone number category

If the phone number category is identified incorrectly, leave feedback. The category will change as soon as we collect enough feedback.

If the phone number belongs to your organization, add it to Yandex Business.

To delete the phone number from our database, contact support.

Statistics

Caller ID analyzes incoming calls from unknown numbers and uses them to build statistics for the last 30 days. The data is updated daily. All calls are divided into categories (for example, useful calls, offers of goods and services, unwanted calls, or deliveries).

To view statistics:

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.
  3. In the top-right corner, tap . A page with your statistics will open.

Icon on the home screen

To add a caller ID icon to your home screen:

  1. Tap Services .

  2. Select Caller ID from the list.
  3. In the top-right corner, tap .
  4. Under General, tap Add caller ID to home screen.
  5. Tap Add. If necessary, confirm the adding of the icon.

Problems with Caller ID

I can't download the number database

To download the offline database, you need:

  • Battery charge of 21% or higher.
  • Active Wi-Fi connection.
  • Free memory: up to 50 MB.
I can't turn on Caller ID

Check whether the caller ID is enabled in the settings.

Caller ID doesn't work

Check whether the caller ID has all the necessary permissions and allow the app to run in the background in the battery settings. If this doesn't help, contact support.

Caller ID doesn't identify numbers

The caller ID can't identify hidden numbers. Only a mobile operator can do that.

Caller ID doesn't block numbers

The caller ID doesn't block numbers automatically. The user blocks numbers by themselves.

The phone hangs up by itself

The caller ID doesn't block calls. They're blocked in the device settings or by the mobile operator.

The caller ID window covers important information

The caller ID window may cover the information on the Phone app's screen. Tap and hold the caller ID window and drag it elsewhere. The new position will be saved for future calls.

Why isn't call blocking enabled by default?

We want to give users a choice: either trust Caller ID to automatically block certain categories of calls, or manually decline or accept calls from recognized numbers.

I've turned on blocking, but I still receive advertising calls. Why is that?

Some organizations (for example, banks) often use the same numbers for both advertisements and calls that are actually important to their clients. In such cases, Caller ID may show information that the call may be an advertisement, but it won't block it so as not to cause problems to clients who are expecting an important call.

I can't add a Caller ID icon to my home screen

Some Android launchers don't allow to create home screen icons. To add a home screen icon, download another launcher and try again.

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