Systems and methods are provided for monitoring telephone calls that are placed on hold. The telephone calls may be between user electronic devices and call centers, such as customer service departments. In some embodiments, the electronic device can monitor an on-hold telephone call using a background process, which may free up a user interface of the electronic device for one or more non-phone-related tasks. The electronic device can monitor the telephone call for an indicator that a live operator is or will soon be present on the telephone call. Responsive to detecting the indicator, the electronic device can alert the user and allow the user to take control of the telephone call. In some embodiments, the electronic device can obtain information about the call center, such as expected on-hold wait-times, to determine whether an on-hold call should be monitored.