Your iPhone's Phone app has quietly become much smarter, and two features are worth switching on today: Hold Assist, which watches for you while you wait on hold, and Call Screening, which makes unknown callers explain themselves before your phone even rings. Both arrived with iOS 26, and both live in the same settings menu.
What you need
You need an iPhone running iOS 26, which introduced both features last year. If you are not sure which version you have, go to Settings, then General, then Software Update, and install any available update first. Hold Assist and Call Screening are free, built-in features — there is nothing to download and no subscription involved.
How to turn on Hold Assist
Hold Assist detects when you have been placed on hold during a call, so you can step away from the phone. When the person on the other end returns, your iPhone notifies you that it is time to pick up.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap Apps, then choose Phone.
- Find Hold Assist Detection and switch the toggle on.
- The next time you are put on hold, you will see a pop-up you can tap to enable Hold Assist for that call. When the other person returns, your iPhone will alert you.
Apple describes the feature this way: "Automatically detect when you are placed on hold, so you can step away. iPhone will then notify you when it's time to pick up."
How to turn on Call Screening
Call Screening asks callers from unsaved numbers for more information before your iPhone rings. You then see their explanation right on your Lock Screen and can choose to answer or send the call to voicemail — a genuinely useful filter in an age of ever-increasing spam calls.
- Open Settings, scroll down to Apps, then tap Phone.
- Look for the Call Screening option in the Phone menu and switch it on.
- When someone from an unsaved number calls, they will be asked who they are and why they are calling, and you will see their answer before deciding.
- Calls from numbers saved in your contacts are not affected, so your friends and family will ring through as normal.
Tips and common problems
If you cannot find either toggle, first check that you are actually on iOS 26 — the features do not appear on older versions. If the toggles are there but Call Screening never triggers, remember it only screens unsaved numbers; a spam call from a number already in your contacts will ring normally, so do not save numbers you do not recognize. And if Hold Assist never offers itself, it may simply be that the call system did not detect a hold tone — the feature only activates when it recognizes you have been placed on hold.
One more feature is on the way: Apple is adding Call Context with iOS 27 next month, which will proactively show relevant information — such as an airline confirmation code found in Mail — while you are calling a business.
Takeaway: Two toggles, one menu, and your phone starts doing the waiting and the vetting for you. Turn on Hold Assist and Call Screening in Settings, then Apps, then Phone — and let the next hold music and the next unknown number deal with your iPhone instead of you.
Source: 9to5Mac.