# Hold Music

> What a caller hears while your team's phones ring - normal ringing (connect on pickup), a built-in "please hold" message, or your own uploaded audio.

Source: https://edesy.in/docs/call-forwarding/rules/hold-music

While a forwarded call rings your team, the caller hears normal ringing by default and is connected only when someone picks up. You can switch on hold audio instead: the built-in "please hold" message, or your own clip in MP3, WAV, M4A or OGG up to 8 MB. Short clips loop for the whole ring.

## Options

| What the caller hears | Setting | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Normal ringing, connected on pickup (default) | Connect the call only when the destination picks up: on | Starts when your team answers. A call nobody answers is free |
| Ringing, but answered at once | Connect only when the destination picks up: off | Starts as soon as the call arrives |
| Built-in "please hold" message | Hold audio on, no clip uploaded | Starts as soon as the call arrives |
| Your own clip, looped | Hold audio on, clip uploaded | Starts as soon as the call arrives |

Hold audio has to answer the caller to play the audio, so while it is on, connect on pickup is switched off and billing starts when the call arrives.

## Upload your clip

1. Open the rule on [forwarding.edesy.in](https://forwarding.edesy.in). Hold audio is on the edit page of a saved rule.
2. Under **While the call rings**, turn on **Play hold audio while ringing**.
3. Upload your file. You can preview what callers will hear.
4. Save.

With the API, upload as `multipart/form-data` with the file in a field named `file`:

```bash
curl -X POST https://voice-api.edesy.in/v1/forwarding/rules/RULE_ID/hold-audio \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_your_api_key" \
  -F "file=@please-hold.mp3"
```

Uploading turns hold audio on. `DELETE /v1/forwarding/rules/RULE_ID/hold-audio` removes your clip (callers then hear the built-in message while hold audio is on). To stop hold audio entirely, send `PATCH` with `"hold_audio_enabled": false`. See [Rules API](https://edesy.in/docs/call-forwarding/api/rules#hold-audio).

## FAQ

**Which file formats work?**
MP3, WAV, M4A or OGG, up to 8 MB.

**What if my clip is shorter than the ring?**
It loops until someone answers.

**Can I use music?**
Yes, any audio you have the rights to.

**Why did my costs go up after turning on hold audio?**
Hold audio answers the caller to play the clip, so the waiting time is billed. Turn it off to go back to paying for talk time only.