Millions of phone owners getting ‘Hold' robot that waits for human helper FOR you – saving you hours of misery
Google has a similar tool, called Hold For Me, for Android phone owners
APPLE A DAY Millions of phone owners getting 'Hold' robot that waits for human helper FOR you – saving you hours of misery
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
APPLE is giving iPhone owners their very own personal robot assistant that will wait in phone call queues for you.
The tool will go on hold so you don't have to.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
Apple fans have been calling for the feature for months
Credit: Apple / WWDC
For example, when you call a business and you're put on hold, you can get Apple's new Hold Assist tool to wait in line for you.
It will then notify you when the human support rep is ready to speak with you.
Google has a similar tool, called Hold For Me, for Android phone owners.
Apple fans have been calling for the feature for months.
"I'd love to basically have a "hold for me" feature, like the Google Pixels have had for a while now," one Apple user wrote on Reddit earlier this year.
"Basically, the phone detects when you are on hold, and can mute the call and notify you when there's finally a person on the other line."
But that's not all.
At this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple also unveiled a new Call Screening feature.
It aims to tackle unwanted calls, helping you gauge whether a phone call is important or another pesky telemarketer.
The tool automatically answers calls from unknown numbers in the background - so you won't even realise it's happening.
After the caller gives their name and reason for calling, the phone rings and offers you a transcription of what they said.
This way, you can either pick up the phone or ignore it.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Express
an hour ago
- Auto Express
Apple CarPlay Ultra will revolutionise your car, and we've tested it
According to Apple, CarPlay is used more than 600 million times per day. It's no surprise then that the tech giant would want to keep evolving its in-car software, and Apple CarPlay Ultra comes as a giant leap in terms of scope and functionality. Set to arrive later this year, CarPlay Ultra will, at first, only be available on Aston Martin products. However, more manufacturers have signed up and will bring it to their cars in the near future. Before the new system's release to the public, we've taken a deep dive to uncover what you can expect from this next generation of in-car smartphone mirroring. The headline feature of CarPlay Ultra is undoubtedly how the software now extends into the car's instrument cluster, creating a more seamless feel and providing essential information right in your eyeline. Advertisement - Article continues below There are six different layouts to choose from, ranging from a full-screen display for music or sat-nav maps, to minimalist line gauges, reminiscent of the Modular face on the Apple Watch. The stand-out configuration is almost certainly the one designed by Aston Martin itself; this is dressed in British Racing Green and enhanced by small flourishes such as the 'Made in Great Britain' script on the speedometer. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Users can easily swipe on the steering wheel controls to configure the centre widget to once again show things like music, sat-nav maps and car information. While this is the only Aston-specific gauge at the moment, the firm hinted that there is scope to add more in the future. What's mentioned above is the only customisation possible on Aston's own set of CarPlay dials; Apple's own gauges can be tweaked to your preference, however, with different colours and backgrounds all via the main touchscreen. Speaking of which… The focus of the Ultra additions to the main screen isn't to completely change the look of the CarPlay experience, but to add more functionality without having to duck out into the car's own infotainment software. With this in mind, users will find that Ultra features three new icons on the home screen: Radio, Climate and Car. The first two are self-explanatory; you can now adjust the car's radio and climate settings (including things like turning on heated seats and windscreen demisters) all within the slick and easy-to-use boundaries of CarPlay itself. Advertisement - Article continues below More interesting, however, is the new Car app, which houses almost all of the settings you may want to adjust on the fly, all accessed via Apple's beautifully simple user interface. For example, you can change and configure drive modes, as well as turn off driver-assistance functions; pressing a physical button on the centre console to turn off ADAS systems also responds within the CarPlay interface, keeping the whole experience feeling seamless. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below That said, several functions, such as adjusting the ambient lighting, require Aston's own infotainment software. Thankfully, Apple has engineered a clever solution, which essentially punches through the main screen to Aston's operating system, allowing you to adjust things but maintaining CarPlay's own menu bars along the side. This makes switching out easier and ensures the experience doesn't feel at all jilted. Swipe right on the main screen and this will now also bring you to a set of widgets like those on the iPhone when in Dock mode. Users can flick between different widgets for things like the time, calendar, to-do lists and other handy info that can be viewed at a glance. So far, Aston Martin is the only car manufacturer to offer CarPlay Ultra; new orders of the DBX 707, DB12 and Vanquish will all come with the necessary firmware in preparation, while older cars with Aston's latest infotainment system can be retrofitted with this for what sources refer to as 'a small additional cost'. Don't fret if you're not able to splash a six-figure sum on a new car, though; Apple has confirmed Kia, Hyundai and Genesis are set to receive CarPlay Ultra capability in the near future, with the likes of Audi, BMW, Ford, Land Rover, Mercedes, Porsche and Volvo having also previously pledged their support for the program. Setting up CarPlay Ultra is just as simple (or difficult, depending on who you ask) as standard CarPlay. Connect your phone via Bluetooth or cable to the car and follow the on-screen instructions to pair the two. Then your iPhone will proceed to download roughly 50MB of software data to the car's infotainment system, which may take a few minutes. After this point, CarPlay Ultra will immediately launch and will continue to do so automatically each time you enter the car, provided your phone connects successfully. You can also turn the Ultra system off and switch to traditional CarPlay, if you'd rather use your car's own dials/controls. Click here for list of the best car infotainment systems ... Find a car with the experts Car Deal of the Day: A Volkswagen Golf R Estate for less than a GTI Car Deal of the Day: A Volkswagen Golf R Estate for less than a GTI The Golf R Estate is one of the best performance estates around – and right now it's criminally cheap. It's our Deal of the Day for 9 June. Should Citroen make a new 2CV? Some say oui, others say non Should Citroen make a new 2CV? Some say oui, others say non A new Citroen 2CV could be inbound, but would this be a French fancy or a financial flop? Hyundai Santa Fe vs Volkswagen Tayron: which SUV is best for a big family? Hyundai Santa Fe vs Volkswagen Tayron: which SUV is best for a big family? Volkswagen's new Tayron takes over from the Tiguan Allspace as the brand's seven-seat family SUV. How does it fare against the latest Hyundai Santa Fe… Car group tests 7 Jun 2025
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Apple fans blast new iOS 26 update
Published: | Updated: After months of anticipation, Apple has finally unveiled its next major iPhone update - iOS 26. The design overhaul, announced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), brings translucent, glass-like effects to app icons, the lock screen, and home screen. Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, described this so-called 'Liquid Glass Design' as 'gorgeous'. However, it hasn't gone down well on social media, where users have dubbed the glass-like elements as ugly and difficult to use. 'Liquid Glass Design is the ugliest thing Apple has ever done!' one user vented. Another added: 'Apple's new glassy UI [user interface] design literally hurts my eyes to look at. The notifications are a literal eye sore.' And one vented: 'Apple has done it again; they have managed to make their UI worse than last year. 'I don't know who is in charge of the Apple aesthetics, but whomever they put in charge should be fired immediately.' The Liquid Glass update for iOS 26 is one of the biggest overhauls Apple has made to its design in recent years. It's also the first time a design has been universal across all platforms, with Liquid Glass is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, the Apple Watch, and even on Apple TV. To reflect this unified design, Apple has also updated its software naming system to reflect the date rather than how many previous releases there have been - making all of Apple's latest software version '26'. Liquid Glass replaces Apple's standard blocky, flat icons with a dynamic theme meant to look like a 'translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings'. Icons, buttons, sliders, switches, text, and media controls will all be more transparent and will distort the background behind using real-time rendering. Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, said: 'iOS 26 shines with the gorgeous new design and meaningful improvements to the features users rely on every day, making iPhone even more helpful.' However, the design change has not been met with enthusiasm by Apple's dedicated fans. One irate commenter vented: 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This force-fed, ugly, bloatware-filled Apple update is a disgusting abomination.' A common complaint among Apple fans was that the new design didn't live up to the standards of sleek, intuitive design that customers have come to expect. One commenter wrote: 'Been playing with new OS since morning and it's like they left a few interns in a room with crayons. 'It's hard to put in words, but it totally lacks Apple elegance.' 'Steve Jobs would've fired everyone on that team,' another chimed in. Another commenter suggested Liquid Glass 'might be the worst UI design Apple has released yet.' While another said: 'Readability is completely hampered. I cannot read or see button clearly here. This is going to be a complete mess. Apple fans might have expected WWDC to bring some major new updates for Apple's AI offering, Apple Intelligence, after these were promised last year. But the event brought only minor updates alongside Liquid Glass including live translation for Messages, Facetime, and Phone. The update also extends visual intelligence to users' iPhone screens so they can search or take actions on anything they are viewing across apps. Users can ask ChatGPT what they are looking at or search using Google and Etsy to find similar products. iOS 26 is currently only available as a developer beta - an unfinished version of the software not for public release - with the full version expected around September later this year.
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
Judge rejects class action for Google privacy lawsuit
June 10 (Reuters) - People who accused Google of illegally collecting their personal information, after they chose not to synchronize their Google Chrome browsers with their Google accounts, cannot sue the Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab unit as a group in a class action, a U.S. judge ruled. In a decision on Monday, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California agreed with Google that it was appropriate to address case-by-case whether millions of Chrome users understood and agreed to its data collection policies. "Inquiries relating to Google's implied consent defense will overwhelm the damages claims for all causes of action," Rogers wrote. She dismissed the proposed damages class action with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought again. The judge also said Chrome users cannot seek policy changes as a group. David Straite, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, declined to comment on Tuesday. Sandi Knight, vice president of litigation at Google, in a statement said the company appreciated the decision, and that Chrome Sync has "clear privacy controls." Class actions let plaintiffs seek potentially greater recoveries at lower cost than they could in individual lawsuits. The decision followed a ruling last August by the federal appeals court in San Francisco, which said Rogers should consider whether reasonable Chrome users consented to letting Google collect their data when they browsed online. Chrome users pointed to Chrome's privacy notice, which said they "don't need to provide any personal information to use Chrome" and Google would not collect such information unless they turned on the "sync" function. Rogers had dismissed the case in December 2022. She said she oversees two other privacy cases against Mountain View, California-based Google, but the claims in those cases differed "significantly." The appeals court ruling followed Google's 2023 agreement to destroy billions of records to settle a lawsuit claiming it tracked people who thought they were browsing privately, including in Chrome's "Incognito" mode. The case is Calhoun et al v Google LLC, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 22-16993.
