I don't understand why a game needs to "make and manage phone calls".

I do understand that people storing their phone contacts with fore and surname get a better credit ranking.

This is just a hint towards potential customer base analysis.
Or software validation techniques requiring a life wire / gsm.

Concluding: I would not recommend or tolerate such company choices and ultimately boycott these as far as I can.

.. Concerning that credit ranking:
There is statistical correlation in credit payback and phone book storage style, so the incentive is based.
Though, I believe, least companies truly master their field that such analysis and techniques would be considerable and creating market impact.
Most just do it because its fancy, the others do it too or 'we just did not know'.

I would say it's about collecting data but I can't see the relation between.

@groxx interesting. Can you elaborate or post a link?

It's for help lines like in "who wants to be a millionaire"

This explain how this an happen accidentally: https://jeroenmols.com/blog/2018/...

Data collection. Simple as that.

@groxx absurd categorization, indeed!

To save the game state when a call comes in?

@lastNick That's just a general lose focus event I think.