Questions and answers

WhoTam shows who is calling you and warns you about spam before your phone even rings. Besides caller ID, the app offers free audio and video calls, chat, and a way to see the names your number is saved under by other people.

The incoming number is checked against the WhoTam database, which contains the names the number is saved under by other users, as well as tags and reviews. If there is a match, the information appears on the call screen before you pick up.

The app has a list of your names — every variant your number is saved under in other people’s address books. The list grows as new users add your number.

Built-in caller ID relies on a carrier or app store directory. WhoTam also shows how real people have labelled the number, what reviews they left and how you are saved yourself — and it adds free calls and chat on top.

The app is available for iPhone (App Store), Android (Google Play) and Huawei devices (AppGallery).

No. Audio and video calls between WhoTam users and chat are unlimited on every plan, including the free Basic plan.

Yes. The other person doesn’t need to install the app — you can reach people who don’t have WhoTam too. They will receive a link to join a video conference room and start talking.

No. Calls go directly over the internet, without a VPN or third-party proxies — including in places where other messaging services are unavailable.

Yes. Besides one-to-one video calls, you can create an online room and invite several participants.

Check the following in order:

1. your internet connection — with a weak signal the call may not connect;
2. the app’s microphone and camera permissions in your phone settings;
3. on Android — power saving settings: the system may have unloaded the app from memory. What to change is described in “Android setup”.

Numbers with a high spam rating are filtered out before your phone rings: you don’t hear the call, but you see it in the log and can unblock it if the filter was wrong.

Your mark goes into the shared database and counts towards the number’s rating. The more users mark it, the more prominent the warning others see.

Yes. You can add a number to your blacklist from the call card or the call log — calls from it will no longer reach you.

Write to support at support@whotam.com and include the number. The marks will be reviewed and the rating recalculated.

There are three plans. Spam blocking, audio and video calls and chat are available on all of them — only the limits differ:

• Basic — free: 100 caller identifications, number lookups not available.
• Premium — $2.99 for 30 days: 200 caller identifications, 100 number lookups, hiding your number from search, notifications about searches for your number.
• Premium X2 — $5.99 for 30 days: 400 caller identifications, 200 number lookups and the same extra features.

Identification shows information about an incoming call and is used up automatically when someone calls you. A number lookup is a manual search for a number’s card: names, tags and reviews. The limits on these two actions are what set the plans apart.

In two ways: through an app store (App Store, Google Play, AppGallery) or on the payment page, which opens in the app or on the website.

A subscription purchased through an app store renews automatically until you cancel it. Payment on the payment page is one-time: there is no auto-renewal, payment details are not stored, and you need to pay again to extend.

Turn off renewal in your app store settings or in the app’s “Settings” section before the next billing date. Money for the period already paid is not refunded, but access remains until the end of that period.

If the subscription was purchased through the App Store, Google Play or AppGallery, only the store can issue a refund under its own rules — WhoTam technically cannot refund such a payment. For payments made on the payment page, the refund procedure and deadlines are described in section 10 of the License Agreement.

On a number’s card, other users see the names it is saved under and the marks left about it. Paid plans include the “Hide number from search” option.

Your number no longer appears in other users’ search results. The option is included in the Premium and Premium X2 plans.

Yes, on paid plans you receive notifications about searches for your number.

Access is needed to identify incoming calls and show how numbers are saved. What data is processed and how is described in the Privacy Policy.

Send a request to support@whotam.com or a letter to the postal address given in the Privacy Policy. Data is deleted within 30 days of the request unless the law requires it to be kept longer.

On some Android devices the system saves battery aggressively and unloads apps from memory. This can cause three symptoms:

• the app is periodically unloaded and stops showing caller information for incoming calls;
• the app does not start after the device is turned off or restarted;
• caller information does not appear if the screen was locked when the call came in.

This is fixed in the system settings, which differ between manufacturers. Guides for the main brands are below.

During a call the SIM card often downgrades the mobile internet mode (4G drops to 3G, 3G to 2G), which makes it hard to get caller information online. To fix this, reconfigure the connection channels:

1. Android Settings → “SIM card settings” (the item name may differ on your device).
2. Inside the SIM card settings open “Access Point Names (APN)”.
3. Open the currently active access point.
4. Find the “Bearer” item (it may also be called “Owner”).
5. In the “Bearer” list, uncheck “Unspecified”.
6. Check all channels from the top of the list down to EVDO_B. EVDO_B itself and everything below it stays unchecked.
7. On most models the changes must be saved explicitly: “More → Save” or the three dots in the top right corner → “Save”.

If your carrier uses CDMA, it is better not to change these settings, or to disable channels more selectively.

Add WhoTam to the list of protected apps in the “Battery manager” so that the system does not unload it from memory.

With power saving on, the incoming call pop-up may not appear. Lock the app in RAM:

1. Open the task manager — for example, press and hold the middle button until the list of running apps appears (how to open it depends on the device).
2. Find WhoTam and drag its card down until a lock icon appears, then release it. A closed lock means the app is locked in memory.

Allow pop-up windows on the lock screen:

1. “Settings” → “Installed apps” (or “Apps” / “All apps”).
2. Find WhoTam. In “Other permissions”, enable “Show on lock screen” and make sure “Display pop-up windows” is enabled.

Add the app to autostart: “Settings” → “Permissions” → “Autostart” → allow WhoTam to start.

On some models the app has to be locked in memory:

1. Open the app and bring up the task manager (with the menu button or another available method).
2. Find WhoTam, then press and hold its card until the system icons appear.
3. An open (sometimes black) lock means the app is not locked. Tap it — the lock should become closed or orange.

If the app still stops working in the background, remove the restrictions in the activity control settings. The available options depend on the model.

1. To keep the system from unloading the app in sleep mode: “Settings” → “Device” → “Power management” → “Power saving” → “Power saving optimisation” → “Sleep mode management” → allow WhoTam to run in sleep mode.
2. To show calls in a pop-up window, allow WhoTam to show notifications in the “Security center”.
3. Allow automatic restart — otherwise the app may not start after a reboot or after being unloaded from memory.
4. Lock the app in memory. For example, on Meizu M5 Note (Flyme 6): “Security” → “Permissions” → “Background running” → WhoTam → “Allow background running”.

The Android memory manager may unload the app, and then it will not start during an incoming call. To prevent this:

1. Open the task manager — for example, press and hold the right button until the list of running apps appears.
2. Find WhoTam and tap the lock icon next to its name. A closed lock means the app is locked and will not be unloaded.

The app may not start after the device is restarted or after it has been unloaded from memory — in that case, start it manually. To keep the system from unloading it again:

1. Open the task manager — for example, press and hold the middle button until the list of running apps appears.
2. Find WhoTam and tap the lock icon next to its name.

If the app stops working in the background even when locked, change the control settings in the battery section. For example, on ZTE Blade V7: “Settings” → “Battery” → “Battery saver” → “All apps” → WhoTam → “Do not optimise”.

Write to support at support@whotam.com with a description of the problem, your device model and app version — this helps us sort it out faster.

Terms of use are described in the License Agreement, payment and refund rules in the Purchase Policy, and data processing in the Privacy Policy.