Tired of waiting on hold? One of the Pixel's best features is coming to Google Search users
When it first debuted, the "Hold for Me" feature was one of the most useful features on Google Pixel phones. Instead of waiting on hold or navigating an endless menu of prompts when calling a company, users could simply wait for a notification that a real person was on the line and pick up the call.
Now that feature is coming to Google Search app users.
A new experiment has appeared in the Search Labs portion of the Google Search app that accomplishes the same thing as "Hold for Me," only it's called "Talk to a Live Representative."
Also: 5 reasons to sign up for Google Labs and how to do it
When you use this feature, you'll see a "Request a call" button when you search for certain business customer service phone numbers. When you tap that button, you'll be asked why you're calling and given an estimated wait time.
In the airline category, there are options like "Update an existing booking," "Luggage issue," "Flight check-in," "Missed my flight," and others. The insurance category has options to make a payment or billing, and FedEx offers choices for scheduling a pickup or getting a shipping quote.
Google will place a call to that company on your behalf and then call you back when a real person is available.
If you'd like to try out the feature, it's available now. Go to the Google Search app on your phone and tap the beaker icon in the top left corner. You'll see "Talk to a Live Representative" under the new experiment tab, with a toggle below to turn it on. When you do, you'll be given a chance to test it out by actually calling a company.
Also: What is Google One and is it worth it?
Right now, the feature is only available for about 25 companies, including:
Airlines: Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines.
Telecommunications: Assurance Wireless, Boost Mobile, Charter Communications, Cricket Wireless, and Samsung.
Retail: Best Buy, Costco, Gamestop, The Home Depot, and Walmart.
Services: ADT, DHL, FedEx, Grubhub, Instacart, Securus Technologies, StubHub, UPS, Waste Management, and Zelle.
Insurance: Esurance and State Farm.