AT&T tells you why a business is calling now, thanks to this feature update

Making sure you get to that important call (and avoid unwanted ones) is about to get a little easier if you’re an AT&T customer on Android.

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Starting soon, you’ll be able to see why a business is calling you on the incoming call screen.

How it works

To enroll, businesses will have to sign up for TruContact Branded Call Display. When an enrolled business places a call, they’ll select the reason. AT&T explained that the caller will have a wide range of reasons to choose from, including “Customer Service,” “Refill Reminder,” “Appointment Reminder,” “Delivery,” “Patient Callback,” and “Upcoming Appointment.”

When your phone rings, you’ll see the business name, number, possibly its logo, and the reason for the call.

You don’t need to do anything to start seeing the new feature, which is an extension of a feature that rolled out last year that introduced business logos on verified numbers and the same technology that automatically labels spam calls.

If you’re worried about scammers misusing this tech, not every business that calls will be able to select a reason (which is probably beneficial given how many people opt to avoid talking to my Google Pixel call screener). It’s only open to businesses in the TransUnion TruContact program.

Also: Google’s new ‘Ask For Me’ AI tool calls businesses to get your questions answered

Since enrolled businesses will likely utilize the service and select a reason, it probably means a much higher pickup rate  for legitimate callers. According to a recent study, 73% of people would likely pick up a call if it displayed a verified logo and reason.

“Research shows consumers still prefer calling for communicating with businesses,” said Erin Scarborough, AT&T senior vice president of Mass Markets Product Management, “especially for urgent, personal, or high-value issues.” This branding, she explained, means you can trust who’s calling.

Availability

For now, this feature is only available on Android and only for the AT&T network.