Facebook unveils Hello, a caller ID and blocking tool for Android

Facebook this morning unveiled Hello, a new tool that lets Android users see who’s calling them and lets them block callers.

The tool was first spotted last month, at which time it was called Phone.

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In a blog post, Facebook wrote that it has started to test Hello, which was built by the Messenger team, and which “connects with Facebook so you can see who’s calling, block unwanted calls and search for people and places.”

Added Facebook, “When you get a call, Hello will show you info about who’s calling you, even if you don’t have that number saved in your phone. You will only see info that people have already shared with you on Facebook.”

The company wrote that Hello can be used to search for people and businesses on Facebook, and “call them with just one tap.” The point there is that the tool will let you search for restaurants recommended by a friend — for example, to find their hours, get directions, or even make a reservation, all within the app.

It’s not clear when or if Hello will be coming to iOS.

The new feature is similar in some ways to Truecaller, a global crowdsourced telephone directory that has raised more than $60 million and which has gained 100 million users. Truecaller lets its users open their address books — including names and numbers — to everyone else on its service.

Facebook will report its first quarter earnings later today. Analysts expect that the company will report earnings of 24 cents per share.