Apple Patent Could Bring Videos and Status Updates to On-Hold Calls

Many of us dislike those repetitive loops of cheesy music that play when we're put on hold with customer service. And when friends put us on hold during personal phone calls, all we get is silence. Luckily, Apple may have a happy medium in the works.

The Cupertino, Calif. company was awarded a United States patent Tuesday that would let users share "personal content," via a visual menu, with the person they place on hold. This includes "music, videos, photos, books, periodicals, status updates, calendar information, hold time information, pre-recorded messages and location information," according to the patent claims.