What Is The Cell Phone Call Waiting Feature?

The cell phone call waiting feature allows you to be notified if your cell phone or handset is in use and another call is coming through.

A cellular phones call waiting feature is useful and necessary in today’s high speed world because you never know when you are going to be expecting an important cell phone call. Also, in times of emergency, you would never want to have your line tied up with a casual conversation while someone is desperately trying to get in touch with you.

Cellular phone call waiting allows a caller to “wait in the wings” if you are currently on the line with someone else. Your cell phone will probably chirp at you when this happens. You then have the option of switching over to accept the new call or simply letting it go unanswered – most often in order to let your voicemail pick up the call.

Cellular call waiting works in similar fashion to call hold, but it serves a different function. Cell phone call hold is a feature that lets you keep your connection to a caller while attending to another call (or simply allowing them to wait on the line while you conduct another piece of business).

You will most likely make use of your cell phones call hold feature when you have call waiting and you switch over to the other line, but the two are separate and distinct features provided by cell phone companies such as Audiovox, Nokia, and Sanyo, as well as cellular phone and wireless handset carrier companies such as Cingular, Nextel, and MCI.

Another cellular phone feature that commonly works closely with call waiting is the cell phone caller ID on your cell phone. This allows your callers to be identified by their name, phone number, or even a nickname you have for that person from your phone book.

The new generation of cell phones and cellular phone or wireless handset service packages also allow for cell phone caller ID features on incoming calls through call waiting. When the second line chirps, your cell phone will tell you who is calling so you can decide whether or not to take the call.

Also see; glossary of cell phone terms and definitions.

Author Notes:

Bill Schnarr contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.cell-phones-n-plans.com. A cell phone industry resource that features service plan comparisons, cellular phone reviews and articles.