We are in the connected era. All our data in the cloud and be able to access it at any time. What's more, every time we install a new application on our mobile, they will surely ask us for access to photos and contacts. Therefore, when we accept these terms, we are assuming - and exposing - all the personal data on our agenda.
Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. are some examples of what we are telling you. Later, of course, it comes when we regret that the company on duty has suffered a computer attack and millions of accounts are exposed. From this look at the current world and wanting to put barriers to these accesses, "The Other Contacts (TOC)", an application that comes to be an alternative to our contact book and that puts barriers to these permits. It has a simple, minimalist look and has few options. But that's what it is: having an agenda completely unrelated to everything is compulsive to share data. Let's take a look.
TOC: an alternative agenda for those contacts that you want to preserve from so much online intrusion
It does not mean that everything is negative in giving access to our contacts to third-party applications. But, the privacy of each case is better that you decide and not someone outside your preferences. Also, why should we say about other people's data? Hence, "The Other Contcats (TOC)" was born, an application with a minimalist design and very easy to use.
As soon as you download this app on the iPhone, you can start entering new contacts (both a selection and your entire phonebook). It may be a good alternative for those work contacts that perhaps it is better to keep safe and that other companies (Facebook or Google) do not have access.
In the fields to be filled in we will have the possibility to place the name, surname, email address, the company for which you work and a telephone number (for now works only for 9 digit numbers). In addition, the last field will be used to add notes about that contact.
Access with Touch ID or Face ID and dual mode
Among the few configuration options available to TOC, we will have the possibility to choose between two presentation modes: dark mode or normal mode. Here it will depend on the tastes of each user.
Meanwhile, one of the things that I liked the most about this application is that if you wish, not everyone who has access to your iPhone will be able to access the complete list of contacts. Why? Because the developers have placed one more barrier: unlocking the app with the use of Touch ID or Face ID.
Likewise, TOC also allows to use caller ID preserving all the personal data of the contacts stored inside.
Editor's opinion and app download
Perhaps the good taste that this app has left us is thanks to its ease of use and its minimalist look. It has no pretensions of anything: to be an alternative agenda to the iPhone but with a very high privacy.
Its use and settings are easy to handle. Everything is very intuitive. What's more, That extra privacy through the use of technologies such as Touch ID or Face ID seems very successful.. More than one person can have access to our iPhone. And maybe some professional contacts — or not — will be better kept under lock and key.
It is in this last aspect where The Other Contacts (TOC) makes more sense than ever: a professional use would be the most ideal. Now, if you are one of those who privacy is the most important aspect in this regard, this app may be your alternative.
Finally, it seems to us a good idea that the developers have included the possibility that in the caller ID, the contacts that we have stored inside also appear in the calls. As we also found it good that when pressing the email of a contact, the «Mail» app is launched to avoid having to resort to the typical 'copy and paste'. Now, if there is something that we would like to see in subsequent versions, it would be to be able to export contacts from our calendar without having to do the whole process manually.
