How to trigger the Hold for Me feature in Google Assistant
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Are you tired of waiting for customer service representatives? Queues can get long when calling companies or organizations, and Google Assistant has a neat feature to ease the process of getting in touch with a live person. Today we will show you how to enable Hold for Me with Google Assistant.
Read more: The best Google products you can get right now
QUICK RESPONSE
To enable Hold for Me with Google Assistant, you must first enable the feature. Start the Phone app, tap the three-spot menu button, select Institutionstype up Hold for Meand exchange Hold for Me on.
Once the feature is on, you must activate it when you want to use it. When a call is waiting, you will see an option that says hold for me. Select it and then press Start. You’ll see a page that says, “Someone is waiting to speak with you,” when the representative is ready. Choose Return to call to get back to business.
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Editor’s note: We formulated these steps using a Pixel 7 Pro running Android 13. Some steps may vary depending on your device and software version.
What is the Google Assistant Hold for Me feature, and how does it work?
Hold for me is a unique feature waiting for you when put on hold during any call. This can be useful when you call businesses and any other organization. This can often leave you waiting to speak to a representative for long periods of time.
When you activate Hold Me, it will wait and let you know when a live person is ready to talk to you. This means you can get busy doing other things while you are on hold.
What devices does it support?
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Not many Android devices currently support Hold for Me. The only supported language is English, and it is only available in the US, Australia and Canada. Additionally, Hold for Me also only works with Pixel devices. More specifically, Pixel 3 and newer phones. You’ll also need to ensure you’re using the latest version of the Phone by Google app.
Those with a supported device, language and market can continue reading to learn how to use Hold for Me.
How to activate and use the feature
You will need to enable the feature first.
- Start the Phone by Google app.
- Tap on the three-spot menu button.
- Go in Institutions.
- Choose Hold for Me.
- Switch on Hold for Me.
Trigger Hold for me when you are on a call
Of course, you should enable the feature whenever you need to use it.
- When in a call waiting, tap up Hold for Me.
- Hit Start.
- You will see a message that says, “Do not hang up” while you are still waiting.
- Once Google Assistant detects that a live person is ready to talk to you, the message will change to “Someone is waiting to talk to you.”
- Choose Return to call.
Just keep in mind that sometimes the feature can’t detect when a representative is ready to talk to you. Google is very clear about this not being a perfect tool. Sometimes you may have to call again and actually wait.
Read more: Other awesome Pixel-only features you should know about
Frequently Asked Questions
Your device must meet a few requirements to use Hold for Me. For starters, the feature is only available in English. You will need to be in the US, Australia or Canada. Additionally, it’s only available on Pixel phones running the latest version of the Phone by Google app. More specifically, you’ll need a Pixel 3 or newer.
Hold for Me is pretty reliable, but isn’t perfect. Even Google tells us the feature doesn’t always detect when the representative is ready to talk to you.
You cannot play music or any other audio while Hold for Me is in use.
