Screening Tools and Hold Assist Are Coming to the Phone App

During its presentation, Apple confirmed that the Phone app would get a couple of new features during the update, in addition to a new redesign.

One of the new features is called Hold Assist. As you can guess by the name, this feature will help when you’re put on hold. Your iPhone will use on-device intelligence to detect whenever there’s hold music. As soon as it hears that music, it will ask you if you want your iPhone to wait for you.

If you say yes, your iPhone will continue to hold the call for you while you can do anything else you want. As soon as the hold music stops and another person answers your call, your iPhone will let them know you’ll be back in a moment, and then alert you that an actual person is ready to talk to you.

Another feature is called screening tools, which will help you detect whether a phone call might be a scam or a spam call. If you get a call from an unknown number, your iPhone will not alert you right away. Instead, it will pick up the call and request information about the caller. Only after it determines it’s not a spam call will it alert you that someone is on the line so you can talk to them.

Besides call screening, the Message app will also have access to screening tools, allowing it to filter out messages from unknown senders more effectively. You’ll still be able to see them, but they’ll be hidden away from your primary list of messages.

On paper, both of these features sound amazing, and they can be really helpful if they work as intended. We’ll have to test them out for ourselves once Apple releases it to the public.