Facebook Launches a New Dialer App Called 'Hello'

After taking over most of your online social life, Facebook is now attempting to do the same with the calls that you make from your Android smartphone. The company has just launched a new app called Hello which is designed to replace the traditional dialer application that your phone uses. The application is available on the Google Play Store, and most of the signs indicate that it's going to stay an Android-only app.

If you were wondering why you should give Facebook full access to your calls and contacts, the answer is pretty simple: better features. For example, Hello is capable of identifying and displaying the name of the person who's calling you, even if they are not in your friends list (of course, they would need to have a Facebook account connected to the phone number to be ID-ed by the app.) Furthermore, when displaying the caller, the application will also give you additional information (such as birthday notifications), so you won't be easily caught off guard.

Another plus for the Hello application is the improvement in security. The app allows you to easily block numbers and ignore calls from commonly blocked numbers, thus weeding out those who you deem undesirable. Moreover, the tool provides better searching (somewhat similar to default dialer of the Nexus phones) and allows you to easily send Facebook messages to your friends. Last but not least, since the app is connected to Facebook, you will also have the option of using the social network's voice call feature (which is free) instead of regular calling function.

The big drawback is that the app does not integrate with the contacts list from your phone so you will only be able to interact with those you're connected to on Facebook. From what I've read, the app's settings allow you to wipe your calls and contacts from the app and from Facebook's servers, but I'm not sure that that's actually true (especially the part about the social network's servers.).

To read the entire official Facebook announcement click here.