Google Pixel 6 Disables Call Screening and Hold For Me After December Update

Recent bug fix updates for the Pixel 6 and Android 12 saw a few issues cropping up. Now a bug in December’s security update has caused Google to disable Call Screening and Hold For Me functions on the Pixel 6.

On Wednesday, Google confirmed that it has disabled Call Screen and Hold For Me due to a bug in the December update. It appears to affect phones with the SQ1D version of the update, which means every Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro that has received the December patch has been affected. However, no issues were reported on older Pixel phones.

Its Hold for Me feature is quite useful when you’re inevitably put on hold after calling customer support or any business. The function does the waiting for you so that you don’t have to waste your precious time. When a human gets back on the line to talk to you, it notifies you of the same. It uses Google Duplex technology to differentiate between recorded and live humans. This nifty feature was available on the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G. Now it seems that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro won’t support it for the time being.

The Call Screen feature is perfect for introverts (and those dodging debt collectors). It ensures that unknown numbers can always be answered by Assistant. It uses automated prompts and Google Assistant to ask unknown callers to state their reason for calling, without you having to pick up the phone. It gives you a real-time transcription of the conversation. Call Screen then lets you choose from a bunch of follow-up questions for the caller to help you decide if you want to answer the call or hang up.

Not all users have received the December update (build number starting with SQ1D) on their Pixel 6 phones. The update version can be checked by heading over to Settings > About Phone > Build number. Google Pixel 6, however, is not available in India as of now.