Your Smartphone Has a Secret Weapon Against Robocalls and Endless Hold Times
In the age of automated voice trees and constant robocalls, it’s easy to feel like the traditional phone call is a relic of the past. But your smartphone is packed with features that can make your phone calls a lot less stressful and even more efficient. From silencing unwanted calls to getting you directly to a live person, here’s how to bring the joy back to talking on the phone (or avoid it altogether, if that’s what you prefer).
Key Takeaways:
- Don’t let robocalls and endless hold times ruin your day. Your smartphone has hidden tools to make calls more manageable.
- Quickly contact businesses with a simple online search and your phone’s virtual assistant.
- Screen unwanted calls with features like Silence Unknown Callers, which automatically sends numbers not in your contacts to voicemail.
- Live Voicemail lets you see a real-time transcription of your messages and even connect with the caller while they’re leaving one.
- Avoid holding for hours with Google Assistant’s Hold for Me feature, which puts a virtual assistant on hold for you and alerts you when a representative is available.
- Use visual or vibration alerts to stay connected without disturbing your peace of mind.
Beyond the Basics: Smart Phone Call Features You Didn’t Know Existed
The average person can likely list off a handful of ways their smartphone has changed the way they interact with the world, from snapping photos and sharing them instantly to easily accessing just about any information imaginable. However, one of the most basic functions of the smartphone – making phone calls – has also had a dramatic upgrade, even though it may not be apparent at first glance.
Searching for a Business? Leave the Phone Book Behind
Gone are the days of flipping through a bulky phone book or searching tirelessly online for a phone number. Now, with the help of your phone’s virtual assistant, finding a business phone number is a breeze. Whether you use Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, or Samsung’s Bixby, simply search for the business name, and a phone icon will appear next to the listed address, allowing you to initiate a call instantly with a simple tap. For those who prefer to give commands, simply instruct your virtual assistant to place the call for you.
Taking Control of Incoming Calls: Silence Unknown Callers and Beyond
No one enjoys dealing with unsolicited calls, especially from unknown numbers. But you don’t need to answer every ring to figure out who’s calling. Apple’s Silence Unknown Callers feature lets you mute calls from numbers that aren’t in your contacts list, sending them directly to voicemail. This ensures that only the calls you want to answer get through.
Beyond simply silencing unknown calls, iOS 17 introduces Live Voicemail, a groundbreaking feature that allows you to see live text transcriptions of your voicemail messages as they’re being recorded. This is a game changer for anyone who’s ever missed an important message due to a missed call. Live Voicemail takes it a step further, allowing you to connect with the caller in real-time, even while they’re leaving a message, reminiscent of the days of answering machines. While Live Voicemail** is an iPhone-exclusive feature, Android phones typically offer similar call-management tools, often found within the phone app’s settings. From blocking specific numbers to routing certain calls directly to voicemail, Android users have a variety of options to customize their call experience.
Unlocking the Secrets of Google Assistant: Hold for Me
Who hasn’t spent hours on hold, listening to repetitive music or an automated message? With this in mind, apps and websites have taken over many customer service tasks, but sometimes you need to talk to a human. This is where Hold for Me, a feature available on Google’s Pixel phones, comes in.
Hold for Me is essentially a virtual assistant for your phone calls. You can enable the feature in the Google Phone app’s settings, and when you get put on hold during a call, simply tap the Hold for Me option that appears on your screen. The Google Assistant will then patiently wait on hold for you, monitoring the call and alerting you when a representative is available. It’s like having a personal assistant who can wait on hold for you while you do something else.
Beyond Pixel Phones: Google’s "Talk to a Live Representative" Experiment
For those who don’t have a Pixel phone, Google’s Search Labs offers a similar service called Talk to a Live Representative. You can find this experimental feature in the Google app for both iOS and Android. This feature provides a list of 1-800 numbers for major airlines and other businesses, letting you request a call back when a representative is available. While it’s still in the experimental stage and not guaranteed to work consistently, this feature is a promising sign of the future of customer service.
Staying Connected While Staying Silent
What if you need to keep your phone on silent but don’t want to miss an important call? Visual or vibration notifications are the perfect way to stay connected without disturbing your peace of mind. Both iOS and Android have built-in features that allow you to set the flash of your camera or screen as a visual notification.
Apple’s iOS software offers a LED Flash for Alerts option, which can be found in the Accessibility settings. Android 14, on the other hand, provides Flash Notifications within the Notifications settings. Both options allow you to see a pop of light or color every time you receive a call.
For those who are sensitive to flashing lights, vibration notifications are a great alternative. Apple’s Sound & Haptics settings allow you to assign custom vibrations to callers for easy identification. Similarly, Android phones offer adjustable vibration options, giving you complete control over how your phone signals incoming calls.
The Future of Phone Calls: A Blend of Technology and Humanity
With technology steadily making its way into every aspect of our lives, it’s easy to think that traditional phone calls are becoming obsolete. However, the features discussed above show that smartphones are evolving to make the calling experience more efficient and tailored to our individual needs. Whether it’s silencing unwanted calls, getting instant answers from virtual assistants, or having smart assistants hold for us, our smartphones are evolving to make the experience of talking on the phone – or not – a whole lot easier.
