In a world filled with robocalls and automated voice trees, the simple act of making a phone call can sometimes feel like a daunting task. However, with the right tools and features on your smartphone, communicating with others can be made much easier.
One of the most convenient features on smartphones is the ability to quickly contact businesses. By using virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, or Samsung’s Bixby, you can easily find and call a business that is not in your contacts list. Simply search for the company online, tap the phone icon or telephone number, and place the call with just a few taps.
Another useful feature to help manage unwanted callers is the ability to screen calls. On an iPhone, you can turn on the Silence Unknown Callers feature to mute calls from numbers not in your contacts list and send them directly to voicemail. Additionally, Apple’s Live Voicemail feature in iOS 17 offers real-time transcription of messages and the option to connect with callers while they are leaving a message.
For those times when you need to talk to a human for customer service, automated callback services like Google’s Hold for Me can help you avoid long hold times. By enabling this feature in the Google Phone app’s settings, the Google Assistant can wait on your behalf and alert you when a representative is on the line.
To ensure you don’t miss important calls, you can use visual or vibration notifications to alert you. In iOS 17 and Android 14, you can enable LED flash or flash notifications to visually alert you when a call comes in. For those sensitive to flashing lights, custom vibrations can be assigned to callers on an iPhone, while Android-powered phones have their own adjustable vibration options.
Exploring the various call management tools and features on your smartphone can make communicating by telephone much easier and more efficient. So next time you need to make a call, remember that your smartphone has the tools to help you navigate the world of voice calls with ease.
