Apple has been giving the iPhone’s Phone app some much-needed attention.
Two features introduced with iOS 26 make unwanted calls and long hold times easier to handle, while a third coming with iOS 27 helps you find important information when calling businesses.
They’re small improvements, but each addresses a frustration nearly everyone has experienced when making or receiving calls.
Call Screening Keeps Unknown Callers From Interrupting You
Instead of letting every unfamiliar number ring your iPhone, Call Screening asks unknown callers to identify themselves and explain why they’re calling.
Their response appears on your Lock Screen before your phone rings, so you can decide whether the call is worth answering.
It’s particularly useful for filtering spam without accidentally missing legitimate calls from numbers you haven’t saved.
To turn it on, go to Settings > Apps > Phone and enable Call Screening.
Hold Assist Lets You Stop Listening to Hold Music
Waiting on hold can be frustrating, especially when you have no idea how long it’ll take to reach someone.
Hold Assist, introduced in iOS 26, detects when you’ve been placed on hold and offers to monitor the call for you.
Once activated, you can put your iPhone down and get on with something else. When a person returns to the line, your phone alerts you so you can resume the conversation.
You’ll find the Hold Assist Detection toggle under Settings > Apps > Phone.
Call Context Finds the Information You Need Before You Ask
With iOS 27, Call Context uses Apple Intelligence to surface relevant information when you call a business, so you don’t have to dig through emails while speaking to customer service.
For example, calling an airline could automatically bring up your flight confirmation number from Mail. Contacting a retailer about a purchase could display the corresponding order number.
Apple says the feature uses the identity of the business you’re calling, not your conversation, to determine what information might be useful.
Call Context requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer and is expected to arrive with iOS 27 next month.
