What are ghost calls? Here is how to use them to your advantage

Have you ever received a ghost call—where your phone rings from an unknown number, but when you pick it up, there’s no one on the other end? While telemarketers and scammers sometimes use ghost calls to check if a number is active, this feature can also be used strategically to your benefit.

Many apps offer ghost calling as a service, including Truecaller, which recently rolled out a major update for iPhones, ensuring a seamless experience across iOS and Android devices. However, Truecaller’s ghost calling feature is available only to premium subscribers, requiring a paid plan to access it.

Use cases for a ghost call

Imagine you run into an old acquaintance, and the conversation is becoming increasingly awkward. A simple ghost call can give you a convenient excuse to step away. Similarly, if you ever need to pretend you’re on an important call to avoid an uncomfortable situation, ghost-calling can be helpful.

On Truecaller, you can only make ghost calls to your own number. However, you can customise the name and phone number of the ghost caller, and even add a caller ID picture to make it look more realistic. Truecaller also allows users to schedule ghost calls, making them appear even more authentic.

How to use ghost galling on Truecaller

Steps to schedule a ghost call on Truecaller. (Express photo)

Open the app and select the Ghost Call option.

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Enter details such as the name of the ghost caller, phone number, and a caller ID photo (optional).

Choose when you want the call to happen—you can receive it immediately or schedule it for 10 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 30 minutes later.

Currently, you can only schedule one ghost call at a time and initiate it at a later date. We hope a ghost call can come to your rescue whenever you need a quick escape.