Apple announced new features at WWDC25 aimed at enhancing the calling experience for iPhone users. Notable among these are Hold Assist and Call Screening, set to launch with iOS 26 this fall.
Hold Assist will manage calls on hold, removing the need for users to listen to hold music. This mechanism allows users to focus on other tasks while the call is managed automatically.
Call Screening, another feature debuting with iOS 26, will address spam calls effectively. Instead of ringing for unknown callers, iPhones will answer calls and prompt the caller for their name and reason for calling. This process aims to deter spam callers and reduce interruptions during the day.
According to data from Truecaller, Americans receive approximately 3.3 billion spam phone calls monthly. Although the frequency of these calls has decreased in recent months, the new Call Screening feature could further alleviate the issue by allowing the iPhone to handle nuisance calls on behalf of users.
Additionally, iOS 26 will introduce a new text screening filter that will keep unwanted messages out of the main conversations list, relocating them to a separate menu.
