Join Patreon
 Join Patreon

Apple iOS 26 Call Screening and Hold Assist, Explained

By / Tech / June 12, 2025

iOS 26 Phone App introduces Call Screening and Hold Assist, powered by Apple Intelligence. Tackle spam calls and hold times with ease.

Apple announces call screening and hold assist with iOS 26 Phone app update
Apple announces call screening and hold assist with iOS 26 Phone app update (Image via Youtube@Apple)

iOS 26 doesn’t overhaul the Phone app top to bottom, but it adds two new tools that make phone calls feel less like a chore. Call Screening and Hold Assist, both powered by Apple Intelligence, are designed to make incoming calls and long hold times less disruptive. We don’t see any major UI changes except the Liquid Glass integration. 

Coming to the significance, these updates are more functional than flashy AI wallpapers or emoji fusions, and would definitely be the features you end up appreciating most. Especially if you’re someone who deals with spam calls or gets stuck waiting on customer service more than you like.

Call Screening in the iOS 26 Phone App

Call screening allows you to take the calls that actually matter and skip on the spam
Call screening allows you to take the calls that actually matter and skip on the spam (Image via Youtube @ Apple)

When you get a call from a number that’s not saved in your contacts, your iPhone can now step in and answer it for you. The caller hears a short automated message and is asked to say who they are and why they’re calling. While that’s happening, the transcript appears live on your screen. You can jump in and pick up, or just ignore it entirely.

It’s simple, and it works. You’re not forced to listen to unknown numbers in real time, and you’re not blindly sending people to voicemail either. Apple had the “silence unknown callers” feature for years, but this feels like the smarter version of that. Less guesswork. More control.

Hold Assist Quietly Saves Your Time

Hold assist on iPhones is targeted at saving your time doing things that actually matter
Hold assist on iPhones is targeted at saving your time doing things that actually matter (Image via Youtube @ Apple)

You know the drill: dial customer care, get put on hold, and you sit there listening to jazz music for ten minutes. With Hold Assist, your iPhone listens to the call in the background and notifies you the moment an actual person picks up. You don’t have to sit there staring at your phone anymore.

It even detects when you’re back in a real conversation and lets you jump in instantly. That means you’re free to scroll, snack, or get back to what you were doing until the wait is over. It is exactly the kind of quality-of-life tweak Apple users have wanted for a while.

Call screening is especially useful if you’re getting hit with spam, delivery calls, or sales pitches. It gives you time to decide if something is worth answering, without dealing with awkward, unknown numbers mid-meeting or while driving.

Everything Happens On-device in the iOS 26 Phone App

Both features run entirely on-device. No part of the call gets sent to a server, no transcripts leave your iPhone, and nothing is stored. This is Apple doubling down on privacy, even while bringing in smarter AI features. And since it’s handled locally, there’s barely any delay. The call screening kicks in instantly, and the hold detection just works, while both are end-to-end encrypted.

Limited Device Support for Now

However, there’s a catch. These features only work on devices that support Apple Intelligence. That means iPhone 15 Pro and up. Older devices, like the regular iPhone 15, miss out. It’s likely a chip requirement, but still worth noting before you go looking for settings that aren’t there. Public beta is expected by July, with the full rollout in September alongside the next iPhone.

We provide the latest news and “How To’s” for Tech content. Meanwhile, you can check out the following articles related to PC GPUs, CPU and GPU comparisons, mobile phones, and more:

You may also like:

Start typing and press enter to search