How to put a call on hold on iPhone to call someone else

Did you know that you can put a call on hold to call someone else? This hidden iPhone trick is available from early versions of iOS, but many experienced iPhone owners don’t know it.
Most iOS users know how to put a call on hold when another call comes in. It’s pretty straightforward as you just have to follow the onscreen options.

But how do you put a call on hold on your iPhone without the help of a secondary incoming call? The “Mute” button is the source of this hidden trick. It is available in the current call interface.
As soon as you put a call on hold, the parties on the other side of the line will start listening to random music, provided by the mobile phone network you are using.

Tip for putting a call on hold on iPhone

1. Participate in a phone call with your iOS device. You can either dial a new call or answer an incoming call.
Fact: If you’re running iOS 14 or later, you need to tap the new compact incoming call user interface. This will bring up the classic iOS calling user interface.
2. Long press Mute button, available in the upper left corner of the current call options menu.
Point:Press and hold the Mute button until the “HOLD” label is displayed below the caller ID.
Compatibility: This trick works for all iPhone models, from the already legendary iPhone 3G to the latest iPhone 11 flagships.

Announce when you put someone on hold

It is always recommended to announce your call partner when you need to put them on hold. Explain the reasons, if possible, and try to end the conversation as soon as possible.
Fact: Most users will not stay on hold longer than 20 seconds. They’ll hang up and call you back later or just drop the call. If you plan to keep someone on hold longer, politely ask to end the conversation and offer to call them back in a timely manner.

How to call someone else

– After putting a current call on hold, you can call someone else by touching “Add a call” button. Select the desired contact from the drop-down list and add it to the current conversation to make it a group call.
– If you want to dial another call, use the ‘Contacts’ and start a new call by selecting the desired contact from the list.
Point: You can also use Siri to make a new call.

On hold vs mute

If you don’t need to call someone else and just want to put the current call on hold just because you want to have a private conversation with someone nearby, you also have the option to mute the call. This will kill your microphone and the contact on the other end of the line will not hear anything.
– The advantages of muting a call are that if the person you’re talking to is the one talking, you can turn on the speakerphone and end the call without the other party knowing. When he / she has finished speaking, you can quickly reactivate the call and answer. This way you can have private offline chat as well as less private cell chat.
Point: This is a great solution if you have to flush the toilet without giving yourself up.
– The “On hold” option generally generates background music for the other party, while they have to wait for you to pick up the line. This is useful if you need a longer privacy cushion. Announce your interlocutor before activating the “On hold” option.

Do you often put calls on hold? Let us know using the comments section available below.

Related: Is your iPhone making random calls? Here’s how to fix it!