Hold for Me: Google Assistant is going to hold your calls for you and wait

Unlike many other companies, Google has been keeping an eye one pushing capabilities of what a smartphone can do when it comes to one of the device’s most basic functions - phone calls. After launching the Call Screen (that vets incoming calls) and the Duplex feature for reservations/appointments earlier, Google launched the Verified Calls feature in September that tells you who is calling and why. Last evening Google added one more feature for phone calls that just might be the best one yet - ‘Hold for Me’.

Alongside the new Pixel phones that Google introduced at the Launch Night In event, the company briefly showed off Pixel’s new trick. The ‘Hold for Me’ feature that will stay on the line for you when you are placed on hold and alert you when someone picks up and starts talking.

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Ready to say goodbye to annoying hold music and waiting forever? Google sure is!

Google explained that the technology for ‘Hold for Me’ was built on the “smarts” of its existing Call Screen and Duplex tech. Duplex technology, that Google has used earlier to make restaurant reservations and haircut appointments for you in the past, is an AI-based technology that focuses on how conversations take place over the phone.

The demo Google showed off last evening gave us a look into how a Pixel owner can activate the new feature when they have been placed on hold. ‘Hold for Me’ can be activated by tapping a new button that appears on the phone screen above the call mute, turn on the speaker and other in-call controls.

Once you have turned it on, you are told - “Don’t hang up”. Google Assistant starts listening to the call for you while you can keep the phone aside and do other things. There is a button on the screen that allows you to tap and return to the call whenever you want and an on-screen message that lets you know if there is hold “music playing” still. Of course, you can choose to hang up instead.

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When someone comes on the line and starts talking, you will be alerted and can return to the call.

While this feature seems innocuous in the face of it, think of all the time it will save you. You can go ahead with whatever you have been doing without having to be glued on to your phone waiting for assistance on the other end. And no annoying hold music either.

‘Hold for Me’ is coming with the new Pixel 5 devices and will also be rolling out to older generation Pixels via the Pixel feature drop soon.