wren listens to the calls that worry you.

Put the call on speaker. Wren says what’s off in plain words, then tells someone you trust.

See it on a call

They asked you to keep it secret. Real emergencies don’t ask for that.

Source · FCC consumer alert on grandparent scams

Call MayaStop listening

scripted demo · speaker on

(480) 555-0137

0:13

“Someone will come to the house to pick it up.”

Speaker
FaceTime
Mute
Add
End
Keypad

a scam call needs you alone.

“A call is still the best way to dial up the fear and the urgency so it’s harder for you to think clearly and check things out.”
Federal Trade Commission, August 2025

Saturday, October 10

2:14

her granddaughter maya’s phone

  1. 01

    The caller wants it kept quiet.

    “Please don’t tell Mom and Dad.” That one sentence is how the call keeps you on your own.

  2. 02

    Wren gets them on the line.

    One press calls the person you chose ahead of time. If they don’t pick up, Wren tries the next person, then a free helpline.

  3. 03

    You talk to someone real.

    The story holds up or it doesn’t. Later that day, Wren checks in again before you pay anyone.

why you can trust it.

  1. 01

    It listens for the ask, not the voice.

    The caller might sound like your grandchild, a hospital, your bank or a government office. What they want doesn’t change: keep it quiet, pay today, move your money. A new story or a better cloned voice doesn’t get past that.

    try a caller

    “Grandma, it’s me. Please don’t tell Mom and Dad.”

    SecrecyMoney today
  2. 02

    It stays for the whole call.

    Tap once when a call feels off. Wren sits in the Dynamic Island until you hang up, so nobody has to go looking for an app while they’re frightened.

  3. 03

    Every tip shows where it comes from.

    The advice comes from public pages by the FCC, the FBI and the FTC. Wren picks which one applies. It doesn’t write advice of its own.

    wren tip

    They asked you to keep it secret. Real emergencies don’t ask for that.

    where that comes from

  4. 04

    A real person helps you decide.

    Software can be wrong. Your granddaughter picking up her own phone, or the hospital’s billing office on the number printed on your bill, can’t be faked by the caller.

  5. 05

    Nothing leaves your phone.

    Wren turns the call into text on your iPhone and lets it go when you stop. Nothing is recorded or sent. The person you chose gets a phone call from you, and nothing else.

see wren on a call.

a scripted example, the app is in development · 0:13

They asked you to keep it secret. Real emergencies don’t ask for that.

Source · FCC consumer alert on grandparent scams

Call MayaStop listening

scripted demo · speaker on

(480) 555-0137

0:13

“Someone will come to the house to pick it up.”

Speaker
FaceTime
Mute
Add
End
Keypad
ruth’s phone
  1. callerCash, and a rush“I need $6,000 in cash. Today.”
  2. callerCourier pickup“Someone will come to the house to pick it up.”
  3. wrenThey asked you to keep it secret. Real emergencies don’t ask for that.

built on seven principles.

Hacks for Humanity asks every project to live the Humanity 101 principles. This is where each one shows up in Wren.

  1. compassion

    Nobody takes that call alone. One press puts someone who cares about you on the line.

  2. empathy

    Fear is what the caller is counting on, so Wren asks for one press and nothing more.

  3. forgiveness

    The person who picks up is told: don’t ask why. She did the right thing by calling.

  4. integrity

    Every tip names the public source it comes from, and this page says what is built and what is not.

  5. kindness

    Free for families. If nobody answers, Wren offers a free helpline with a trained volunteer.

  6. respect

    You choose your people and can change them any time. They see nothing unless you press.

  7. self-reflection

    Before any money moves, Wren asks you to stop and check once more.

Humanity 101 is an initiative of ASU Project Humanities.

fair questions.

How big is this problem?

Americans over 60 reported losing $7.7 billion to internet crime in 2025, across 201,266 complaints to the FBI. The FTC says four times as many older adults reported losing $10,000 or more to impostor scams in 2024 as in 2020. Both sources are linked at the bottom of this page.

Does Wren work on a normal phone call?

Only with the call on speaker. As far as we can tell, iPhone doesn’t let an app listen to a call any other way. If phone makers open that up, the speaker step goes away.

What if the person I chose doesn’t answer?

Wren offers the next person on your list, and then a free fraud helpline. Later that day it reminds you to check before you pay anyone.

How often does it get it wrong?

It will miss some scams and flag some real calls, and we don’t have accuracy numbers yet. Treat Wren as a second pair of ears. The person you call back is the one who settles it.

Has it been tested with older adults?

Not yet. That is the first thing we do next, with older adults and the family members they would choose.

Is it only for calls that pretend to be family?

No. A fake hospital bill, a bank’s “fraud team” and a government office all ask for the same things: keep it quiet, pay today, move your money. Wren listens for those.

What does it cost?

Nothing for families. The people Wren looks out for don’t pay for it, and it never shares what is said on a call with anyone.

Can I get it today?

Not yet. Wren runs on our own iPhone today, in English, and isn’t on the App Store. The demo above is a scripted example of a call.

  • An older woman in a straw hat talking on her phone
  • A grandfather holding his baby grandchild
  • A granddaughter kissing her grandmother on the head
  • An older man laughing on a couch with a cup in his hand
  • An older woman in a purple jacket smiling

nobody should take that call alone.

Wren listens with you, says what’s off, and gets a real person on the line.