News

The First Female Saudi Astronaut Heads To Space On May 21

Rayyanah Barnawi is the first Arab Muslim female astronaut to journey to space, joining her teammate Ali AlQarni aboard the International Space Station.

Published

2 years ago

May 16, 2023

Nour Nasir

the first female saudi astronaut heads to space on may 21

Saudi Press Agency

On May 21, 2023, the Arab world will witness another historic mission to space as Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Arab Muslim female astronaut, blasts off from the United States on a journey to the International Space Station.

The mission is part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious space research program and aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 manifesto. During the mission, Rayyanah Barnawi and teammate Ali AlQarni will conduct groundbreaking scientific experiments aimed at furthering human space exploration, as well as using live feeds to engage with 12,000 Saudi students.

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Once the mission has been successfully completed, Saudi Arabia will join a select few countries that have simultaneously sent two astronauts to the International Space Station.

The May 21 mission represents a significant milestone for Saudi Arabia’s space program, which aims to prepare future engineers and astronauts for further space-related assignments.

News

Truecaller For iPhone Gets Real-Time Caller ID And Auto Spam Blocking

The latest update integrates with Apple’s Live Caller ID Lookup framework, launched with iOS 18 last year.

Published

3 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Nour Nasir

Truecaller

Truecaller has rolled out a major update for iPhone users, introducing API support that brings real-time caller identification and automatic spam blocking. The upgrade aims to bring the iOS version of the app closer to its Android counterpart, which has long offered these advanced call-screening features.

The latest update integrates with Apple’s Live Caller ID Lookup framework, launched with iOS 18 last year. The technology allows third-party apps to cross-check incoming calls against a database of known spam numbers in real-time. Importantly, the process employs “homomorphic encryption,” ensuring user privacy by masking the caller’s number, concealing the client’s IP address, and using anonymous authentication.

With this update, Truecaller has also introduced global automatic spam call blocking for iPhones. However, the real-time caller ID feature is being released gradually and is available only to Truecaller Premium subscribers on iPhones running iOS 18.2 or later. Free users will still have access to ad-supported features, such as manual number searches and caller identification for verified businesses.

How To Enable The New Features

To activate the new features, follow these steps:

Update the Truecaller app to version 14.0 or newer via the App Store.
Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification on your iPhone.
Turn on all Truecaller toggles, then restart the app.

Also Read: “AI Seal” Certification Now Required For Dubai Gov Partnerships

While these features are new to iOS, Truecaller has hinted at this update for months. Following Apple’s iOS 18 update and the introduction of its Live Caller ID API last September, Truecaller Co-founder Alan Mamedi shared his excitement on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Truecaller finally works on iPhone”.

The global rollout of spam call blocking is already live, but users may need to wait for gradual access to the live caller ID feature.