How to use Google Assistant’s Hold for Me feature to wait for calls
This page was translated using AI and machine learning.
(Pocket-lint) – Have you ever been on hold? For example, have you called a customer support line or your bank and been subjected to elevator music?
An Android feature called Hold for Me is designed to make these situations a little less unbearable. Here’s all you need to know.
What is Google Hold for me?
- Functionality in the phone app
Hold for Me is a feature of the Google Phone app on Android devices. It uses Google’s artificial intelligence technology, Duplex, to wait for you. It’ll also provide you with real-time captions, so you can easily see what’s going on, and it’ll tell all online reps to wait for you if needed.
“We have gathered feedback from a number of companies, including Dell and United, as well as studies with customer support representatives, to help us design these interactions and make the feature as useful as possible for people on both sides of the world. the call ”Google explained in a blog post.
How does Google Hold for Me work?
- Remove your phone in silent or vibrate mode only
- Open the Phone application
- Make a call to a company
- When you’re on hold, tap Hold for me, then tap Start
- While you are on hold you will find a card on the screen that says “Do not hang up”
- When the support representative is ready to speak to you, a prompt will display “Someone is waiting to speak to you”
- Press Return to call
Google has said that Hold for Me is designed to help you “reclaim that time.” Basically when you call a toll free number or a business and it puts you on hold, then Google Assistant can wait in line for you. “You can go back to your day and Google Assistant will alert you with a sound, vibration and a prompt on your screen once someone is online and ready to talk,” Google explained. “This means you’ll spend more time doing what’s important to you and less time listening to music.”
Hold for Me follows another artificial intelligence phone feature from Google, Call Screen, which helps you avoid interruptions due to spam calls. In fact, Hold for Me is powered by Google Duplex, an AI that can detect music on hold, recorded messages, and reps. If they notice a representative is online, Google Assistant will notify you that someone is ready to speak and ask the representative to wait a while while you resume the call.
While Hold for Me waits for you, Google’s AI cuts the call, but you can check the captions in real time on your screen to know for sure what’s going on. The Phone app basically records corporate audio or whatever put you on hold, then shows you a transcript of what is said. Audio processing is done on your device, without sending anything to Google. The audio recording and transcript will be deleted from your device 48 hours after the call.
How to activate Google Hold for me
- Open the Phone application.
- Tap More (three-dot button), and then tap Settings.
- Press Hold for me.
- Activate or deactivate the Wait for me feature.
Hold for Me is an optional feature that must be enabled in Google settings. Once activated, tap “On hold for me” in the Google Phone app after being put on hold.
Who can use Google Hold for Me?
- Pixel 3 and newer Pixel devices
- US users only for now
The Hold for Me feature only works on Pixel 3 and later devices in the US. You will need the latest version of the Phone app to use Hold for Me, and it is currently only available in English.
Want to know more?
Check out the blog post and the Google Help Center.
Is Apple Music Worth It? Try Apple’s Streaming Service Free for 3 Months
Through
·
Written by Maggie Tillman. Edited by Britta O’Boyle. Originally published on .