Inboxes
Hold Music
Hold music is the audio an external caller hears when a connected call is placed on hold. Each personal or shared inbox can use its own custom audio. If no custom audio is uploaded, Waveline plays its default hold music.
Why customize hold music?
Custom hold music can make the experience feel more intentional and recognizable while reassuring callers that the call is still connected. Different businesses, locations, departments, and customer-facing personal inboxes can each use audio that fits how they communicate with customers.
Changing hold music does not affect greetings, phone menus, ringing, or voicemail.
Use audio you have permission to play
Only upload music or other audio your organization owns, has licensed, or has permission to use. Your organization is responsible for reviewing the usage terms for any uploaded audio, including royalty-free tracks.
Before you begin
- You must be an inbox Manager or have an organization role that lets you manage the selected inbox. See Inbox Participants.
- Select the personal or shared inbox whose calls should use the audio.
- Prepare a supported audio file no larger than 50 MB.
- Choose audio that can repeat without an abrupt or distracting transition.
- Check the beginning and end for unnecessary silence.
Where to find it
Ready to customize hold music?
Open Inboxes, select the inbox, and scroll to Hold music.
Upload custom hold music
- Open Inboxes from the Waveline dashboard.
- Select the inbox you want to configure.
- Scroll to Hold music.
- Under Custom hold music, select Upload audio and choose your audio file.
- Wait for the audio player to appear. Use Play custom hold music to preview the attachment.
- Allow up to one minute for the change to take effect.
- Place an external test call through that inbox and put the caller on hold.
The upload saves automatically. There is no separate Save action.
Understand which inbox supplies the music
Hold music follows the call's inbox
For an incoming call, Waveline uses the hold music from the inbox handling that call. For an outgoing call, it uses the inbox selected when the call was placed. The music does not belong to the teammate or device that presses Hold.
This is especially important for teammates who handle calls from several inboxes. If the wrong music plays, first confirm which inbox is associated with the call.
When callers hear it
- A connected external caller hears the inbox's hold music after a teammate places the call on hold.
- A caller placed on hold during a consult transfer hears the same inbox audio.
- Waveline repeats the audio while the caller remains on hold.
- Resuming the call stops the music and reconnects the conversation.
- Hold music does not play simply because an incoming call is ringing.
- Internal teammate-to-teammate calls may use local device hold behavior instead of inbox hold music.
See Transfers and Hold for instructions on using the live call controls.
Choose effective hold audio
The audio should reassure callers that the call remains connected without becoming distracting while they wait.
- Use an appropriate and consistent volume.
- Avoid loud introductions, sudden effects, or audio that resembles a disconnected call.
- Choose audio that can repeat without becoming distracting.
- Trim extended silence from the beginning and end.
- Keep spoken announcements concise and accurate because they may repeat.
- Test the audio through a real phone instead of relying only on computer speakers.
Replace or remove hold music
Select the attached audio’s trash icon, review Remove audio?, and select Remove audio. Select Upload audio to attach the replacement file and wait for the player to appear.
Removing custom hold music returns future hold sessions for the inbox to Waveline’s default music. AI audio generation is not available for hold music.
Allow up to one minute after uploading or removing a file. A caller already on hold may continue hearing the audio selected when that hold session began.
Troubleshooting
Waveline's default music plays instead of my custom audio
Confirm that the audio player still appears under Custom hold music and that the call is associated with the inbox you edited. Allow up to one minute after an upload before testing again.
The wrong custom music plays
Check the inbox associated with the call, not only the teammate or device that pressed Hold. Incoming calls use the inbox handling the call, while outgoing calls use the inbox selected when the call was placed.
My new music has not started playing
Allow up to one minute for the change to take effect, then begin a new hold session. A caller who was already on hold when the file changed may continue hearing the previously selected audio.
My upload fails
Confirm that the source file is a supported audio format and no larger than 50 MB. If the problem continues, export a new copy in a common format such as MP3 or WAV, then try again from the web app.
The audio is silent, distorted, or too loud
Check the original file for silence, clipping, or large volume changes. Export a corrected copy, remove the current file, and upload the replacement. Test it through a real phone after the change takes effect.
An internal teammate does not hear the hold music
Inbox hold music is intended for connected external calls. Internal teammate-to-teammate calls may use the device's local hold behavior instead.
I cannot change the hold music
Use the web app and confirm that you are an inbox Manager or have an organization role that lets you manage it. Hold music uploads and removals are not available in the mobile inbox settings. See Inbox Participants for access details.
The caller disconnects while on hold
Check whether the caller ended the call, then review Call Quality if hold or resume repeatedly fails. Test with Waveline's default music to determine whether the custom audio may be contributing to the problem.