About needacall

Who builds it

I’m Richard Li. I built needacall because the fake-call apps I tried all had the same problem: their icon says “Fake Call” on your home screen, and you have to dig through menus while someone is watching you. I wanted something that looks like an ordinary chat app and works with one gesture.

What needacall does

• It runs in your browser. You add needacall.com to your home screen, and it opens full screen like any other app, named “Memo”.
• It looks like a chat app (or a black screen). Triple-tap anywhere and an incoming call appears, with a ringtone, vibration sound, or silently.
• You choose who calls, with any name and photo. After you answer, a synthesized voice can speak on the other end.
• It works offline after the first open, in English and Chinese.

What it can’t do

A web app has limits, and the guides on this site say so plainly:

• needacall has to be open on your screen. It can’t ring a locked phone or call you while it’s in the background.
• No real call is placed. Nobody is on the other end.
• It is not a safety device. If you’re in danger, call 911 (US), 112 (EU), 999 (UK) or 110 (China).

How the guides are written

Every guide is written for one specific situation and gives you exact words you can say. I test the steps in the app before publishing, and I update a guide when the app changes. If something in a guide is wrong, tell me through the feedback chat inside the app (the conversation called “Memo Developer”).

Your data

There’s no account and no phone number. Your settings are stored on your own phone. The app sends anonymous usage counts (for example, how many calls were triggered) so I can see what works; you can turn this off in the app’s settings. The website itself counts page visits anonymously, including which site sent you there (for example, a search engine), without cookies and without storing your IP address.