The iPhone Phone app is becoming increasingly powerful with new features introduced in iOS 26 and upcoming in iOS 27. Hold Assist, available now, detects when you're placed on hold during a call and notifies you when the other party returns. Enable it in Settings > Apps > Phone via the 'Hold Assist Detection' toggle.
Call Screening, also live, asks callers from unsaved numbers to provide their identity and reason for calling before your phone rings. Their response appears on the Lock Screen, letting you decide whether to answer or send them to voicemail — a useful tool against spam calls. Coming in iOS 27, Call Context will use Apple Intelligence to proactively surface relevant information during business calls, such as flight confirmation codes from Mail or recent order numbers.
The feature prioritizes privacy by analyzing who you're calling, not call content. Available on iPhone 15 Pro and later, iOS 27 is in beta testing and will release to all users in September. These enhancements make the often-dreaded Phone app experience more manageable and efficient.
Source: 9to5Mac · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing