AT&T Enhances Branded Call Display with "Reason for Call" Feature

This new feature builds upon AT&T’s existing Branded Call Display service, providing even more clarity and control over incoming calls.

Understanding Branded Call Display

AT&T’s Branded Call Display, launched in collaboration with TransUnion, initially focused on identifying legitimate business calls. This service lets businesses display their name and logo when calling, making it easier to differentiate between genuine calls and potential spam or robocalls. This helps you quickly identify if the call is from a company you recognize and trust, versus an unknown number.

How it Works:

The Branded Call Display service leverages the STIR/SHAKEN call authentication protocol. This technology helps phone carriers verify the authenticity of incoming calls, reducing the prevalence of fraudulent or spoofed numbers that often disguise spam calls. Through this verification process, businesses that participate in the program are given the ability to show a visual representation of themselves (their logo and name) on your phone screen, improving call identification.

The "Reason for Call" Expansion

Building on the success of Branded Call Display, AT&T and TransUnion have introduced a significant enhancement: the ability to display the reason for the business call. This provides additional context, allowing you to choose whether or not to answer the call based on its purpose.

What Information is Displayed?

When a business calls, they can now choose to display a short message indicating the reason for their contact. Examples include:

• Refill Reminder: A reminder from your pharmacy or subscription service.
• Delivery Service: Notification that a delivery driver has arrived.
• Patient Callback: A doctor’s office letting you know they’re available to chat.
• Account Update: Information regarding your account status.

This brief message is displayed directly on the call details, giving you instant insight before answering.

Improved Call Management:

This added layer of information improves call management significantly. You can quickly decide whether or not engaging with the call is time-sensitive or relevant to you at that moment, minimizing unnecessary disruptions or missed important communications.

Device Compatibility

Currently, the "reason for call" feature is only accessible to Android users. This limitation stems from the fact that it is an extension of the Branded Call Display service, which was initially released exclusively for Android devices.

Future Plans:

However, there are plans to broaden compatibility. TransUnion representatives have indicated expectations for this feature to become the standard across all mobile operating systems in the future. The goal is to provide the same benefits of enhanced call identification and context to all users, regardless of which phone they have.

Conclusion

The expansion of AT&T’s Branded Call Display with the inclusion of a “reason for call” feature represents a substantial advancement in call management. This improvement provides greater transparency, control, and convenience for consumers, allowing them to focus on legitimate calls and filter out unwanted ones. Although currently limited to Android devices, the projected expansion to all major platforms signifies a significant step toward a future with clearer, more useful call information. This helps to combat the prevalence of spam calls while streamlining communications with legitimate businesses that are actively seeking a way to communicate more clearly and directly with their customers.