Say hello to Hello. It is a new app from Facebook that's designed to replace your Android dialer and deliver a better phone experience.

With all the technology that's available nowadays, you'd think that simple things, such as as your smartphone dialer, would simply be smarter than phone dialers were 10, 20, or even 30 years ago. Although most dialers now include intelligent features like caller ID, they still aren't impressive. Facebook has therefore launched Hello as an alternative to the dialer you're currently using on Android.

"Today we are starting to test Hello, a new app built by the Messenger team. Hello connects with Facebook so you can see who’s calling, block unwanted calls and search for people and places, explained Facebook via a blog post published on 22 April. "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."

Pocket-lint has detailed everything you need to know about Hello, including bits like which types of information the app will display and where that information comes from, all with the purpose of helping you decide if Hello is worth your time.

What is Facebook Hello?

Hello is an Android-only dialer app from Facebook Creative Labs. It is attempting to bring smartphone dialers into the 21st century by leveraging Facebook data and putting the social network at the forefront of all your communications. It'll also let call and text people for free using Messenger.

How does Hello work?

Download Hello from the Google Play Store (it's free) and give it permission to combine information from Facebook with contacts on your Android phone. By doing so, Hello will first and foremost be able to show you exactly who's calling, even if you don't have that phone number saved in your phone. It will also allow you to block unwanted calls and search for people to call and places to see on Facebook.

One of the standout features includes the ability to always have access to the latest information about your contacts. You will be able to see their profile pictures and birthday information pulled from Facebook (as long as Hello found a match on Facebook). You'll even be able to see how many people have blocked a number, and then you can answer, reject, or block it. Blocked calls go straight to voicemail.

You can also add any phone number as a contact and edit that contact per usual. Facebook said you will only see information that people have already shared with you on Facebook. As far as searching for businesses goes, you can use Hello not only to find a phone number to call, but also to find hours, make a reservation, and get directions. And you can do all that without leaving the app.

Among other features, Hello further connects to Facebook's Messenger app in order to let you easily make free calls over Wi-Fi.

When will Hello be available?

Facebook is already testing Hello on Android. You can download it in the Play Store.

Want to know more?

Check out Facebook's blog post for more details or watch the video above.