People usually say "this is" when answering a phone instead of "I am?"

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Yes, people usually say "this is" when answering the phone. Usually, when you can see the person you're talking to, you'd say, "I am." You can even ask, "is this X?" or "who is this?" if you want to check who's on the other end of the phone. Ex: Hello! I'm Jane. It's nice to meet you. => in person Ex: Hey, this is Jane. I'm calling about your car that's for sale. Ex: A: Hi there. Is this Jane I'm talking to? B: Yes, this is Jane. Who is this?