Google Assistant can wait on hold for you during lengthy phone calls
- The Google Assistant has a new Hold For Me feature that waits for calls to come in.
- You don’t have to listen to keep music forever.
- Preview is currently only available for Pixel 5 and 4a 5G in the US.
Google’s duplex phone call handling is clever, but the company may have just addressed an even bigger problem: keeping music on hold while you wait for customer service. In addition to the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G, Google has published a preview for “Hold for me” in the assistant, which will wait on the line for a response.
The feature uses duplex and call screen technology that allows you to ignore the usual music on hold and the message “We care about your call” until someone is on the other end. You can see a transcript of everything spoken. When a human picks up you will get a warning that they are waiting to speak to you on a button to return to the call.
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You cannot listen to music or other audio while on hold. However, Hold for Me works entirely on the device, so you don’t have to worry about transferring information.
Google is initially only making Hold for Me available to a handful of users. In the US, you’ll need a Pixel 5 or 4a 5G that only supports English calling to toll-free numbers. For many local businesses, this is not an option. Older Pixel phones get the option with a loss of functionality.
This is a helpful feature if you’re concerned about spending half an hour on hold with a bank or tech support. At the same time, Google is clearly tensing its muscles. Between that and the new Google Photos editor, the company wants to show that its AI is capable of solving common problems that other phones can’t.
