iOS rollout, rising willingness to pay drive Truecaller’s premium growth in India: CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala

Truecaller global CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala.

India is driving Truecaller’s growing momentum in premium subscriptions, aided by its iOS rollout and consumers getting more comfortable with paying for subscriptions, top executive Rishit Jhunjhunwala has told Moneycontrol in an interview.

In October, Truecaller, which has over 450 million users, crossed 3.3 million paying subscriptions. A large share of this momentum is coming from India, which remains one of the biggest and fastest-growing markets for Truecaller.

The growth has accelerated following the rollout of the company’s iOS app in January, a device the platform struggled to support for years. The shift also aligns with changing consumer behaviour in India.

“Many years ago, the Indian consumer was not willing to pay for software,” Jhunjhunwala said. “But as OTT has become mainstream, people have become used to paying for things on the phone. We see healthy growth in premium subscriptions in India… consumers will become more discerning and want the most premium experience of a product they love.”

Truecaller has seen consistent subscription growth driven by India-led adoption.

“Our free product has been part of our growth strategy. We give away a large chunk for free and monetise only a small piece,” he said. “We have about 3 million paid users and 450 million users globally. So it’s a small ratio but a fast-growing one, especially with the launch of our iOS product.”

Premium push continues

Truecaller’s premium tier is designed for users whose work depends heavily on phone communication such as real estate brokers and recruiters. It offers features including ad removal, advanced spam blocking and the AI-driven Truecaller Assistant, which answers calls on behalf of users.

“We are always adding capabilities onto the premium tier,” Jhunjhunwala said. “But we firmly believe we will always have a very strong, powerful free tier because we are solving a serious problem.”

India remains the centre of the company’s roadmap

Jhunjhunwala, who took over after founders Alan Mamedi and Nami Zarringhalam stepped back in late 2024, said the strategic priorities remain unchanged. The founders moved out of daily roles after feeling that the “organisation and the management team had matured enough to run the show”.

“India is a big market for us. It will always be a big focus market along with Africa and Southeast Asia,” he said. An estimated 70–75 percent of Truecaller’s user base is in India. “We have got so much love from India… it’s still a growing segment.”

He also highlighted Truecaller’s lean structure. “We are 450 million users, but we have 450 employees globally. It’s like a 1 million users to 1 employee ratio. That we will try to always imbibe,” he said.

AI and B2B expansion

Truecaller for Business now has over 3,000 customers, many from BFSI, using its verified business caller ID and anti-fraud tools.

The company has also introduced its internal AI suite, Advantage, to reduce spam for brands. “We’re trying to tell brands that you don’t need to spam your users. We can actually make you reach the right audience without spam,” he said.

Also Read: Truecaller adds AI features to fight scams and provide real-time context for unknown calls

The road ahead

Truecaller will also have to navigate the forthcoming enforcement of India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), which may require the company to adapt its data-processing and consent flows once the government notifies the final rules.

The company expects communication challenges to grow as India’s digital public infrastructure expands.

“As the mobile phone number becomes more important… there will be nuances surrounding communication. We will continue to solve more and more problems,” he said.