Learn about Hold for Me
When you're on hold with a business, this feature waits on your behalf and lets you know when a live representative is ready. While in use, you'll get a transcript of what's being said. A brief disclosure is also played to the representative to let them know the call is being recorded. Learn how to use Hold for Me.
Learn about Direct My Call
When you call a business with a phone menu, the Call Assist feature shows you in real-time what the automated voice says and what options you have to choose from.
When “Faster menu options” is on, information is pulled from the existing business information. The menu options may also appear before they’re spoken. Learn how to use Direct My Call.
How Hold for Me & Direct My Call data is handled & stored
Review data storage & deletion
- If you don't share: Audio recordings and transcripts are automatically deleted from your device after 48 hours.
- If you choose to share: Your audio and transcripts are stored without personal identifiers on Google's servers for 180 days. You can delete any shared recordings at any time from your MyActivity page.
Understand anonymous data collection
Google collects diagnostic data about your interaction with the business phone number, such as whether your call was successful and the accuracy of our predictions. This information isn’t linked to you or your identifiers.
Share audio & transcripts
When you choose to share your data, it's submitted as an anonymous "Google user" and may be reviewed by humans to improve machine learning.
When sharing data, you allow Google to access:
- A recording and transcript from the time the feature was active.
- System logs and diagnostic data.
- The business's phone number.
- The greeting and disclosures played during the call.
Learn how to share your Hold for Me audio and transcript with Google.
Learn how to share your Direct My Call audio and transcript with Google.
Turn Hold for Me or Direct My Call on or off
- On your device, open the Phone app
.
- At the top left, tap the Menu
Settings.
- Tap Hold for Me or Direct My Call.
- Turn the feature on or off.
Tip: In “Settings,” once “Hold for Me” is on, you can tap Hold for Me during each eligible call to activate it. Learn how to turn on Hold for Me during a call.
Countries, regions & language availability
For Hold For Me:
- Australia (English)
- Canada (English)
- Japan (English and Japanese)
- United Kingdom (English)
- United States (English)
For Direct My Call:
- United Kingdom (English)
- United States (English)