How to send STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the operator from a phone

How a signal person or rigger sends STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the operator from a phone, with steps, tool options and mistakes to avoid in 2026.

By 2Dig · 2026-10-09

2Dig is published by the makers of OperatorLink, which is compared here alongside other tools.

Agree on one phone and one sender, keep the operator's phone in view with sound on, send STOP, HOLD or SLOW clearly, confirm it was seen, and clear HOLD or SLOW when it is safe. OperatorLink shows these signals to the jobsite crew and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser. ^[1]

Option	How STOP, HOLD and SLOW reach the operator	Fee
Phone voice call	The sender speaks the word and the operator answers on a live call; nothing is stored on screen. What to check: whether the call stays connected and the words stay clear.	not published
Text or chat message	The sender types STOP, HOLD or SLOW and it stays on the operator's screen. What to check: whether the operator sees it at once and how long it stays visible.	not published
OperatorLink	Shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser. ^[1] HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and clear when the last person leaves. ^[1]	Currently free to use. ^[1]

What you need before you start

Before a lift, the signal team and the operator agree on which phone will carry the signals. The operator should place that phone where it is easy to see or hear, with the screen awake and the sound turned up. Choose one person to send STOP, HOLD and SLOW so the operator never gets conflicting orders. Agree on the meaning of each signal at this jobsite before work starts, and on who may clear a HOLD or a SLOW. Have a second way to signal, such as hand signals or a radio, ready in case the phone fails. Check the phone battery, the network signal and the volume at the start of the shift, not when a signal is needed. Keep the phone in a case or holder that lets the sender reach it fast. Decide how the operator confirms a signal was seen, for example by a spoken reply or a visual sign. Write the phone number or the join link where the sender can reach it without hunting. Every crew member should know who sends the signal and what to do if the phone does not answer. Make sure STOP, HOLD and SLOW mean the same thing to everyone on the crew, and that a HOLD is not mistaken for a STOP.

Step by step

These steps work with any method, from a plain phone call to a signaling app. Follow them in order so the operator always gets one clear, current signal.

Settle the start. Ask the operator to confirm the phone is open and in view, and that the sender is the only person sending signals.
Open the signaling method. Use the app, call or message the crew already agreed on, and make sure the operator's phone shows the same screen or the same line.
Send the signal. Press or send STOP, HOLD or SLOW as soon as a condition calls for it. Use STOP when work must halt at once, and HOLD or SLOW when an action should pause or ease off.
Keep a held signal active. Keep HOLD or SLOW in place until the reason is gone. Some tools keep a held signal on for everyone until it is cleared, so say clearly who clears it and when.
Watch for a dropped signal. If the signal stops arriving, tell the operator and re-send it.
Confirm receipt. Have the operator answer that STOP, HOLD or SLOW was seen. A short spoken reply or a typed word covers this and closes the gap between sending and acting.
Clear the signal. When it is safe, clear HOLD or SLOW and tell the operator. Do not leave a pause signal on after the reason has passed, or the operator may wait for a clear that never comes.
End the session. When the job is done, leave the room or end the call and tell the operator, so old signals do not linger into the next job.

The order matters. Sending a signal before the operator is ready wastes time and can be missed. Staying silent after you clear a signal leaves the operator guessing about what comes next. Keep the channel open from start to finish, and never assume a signal arrived just because it was sent.

Tools that can do it

A few options move STOP, HOLD and SLOW from a phone to the operator. Match the tool to how the crew already works.

A phone voice call is one option. The sender speaks the word and the operator answers on a live call, so nothing needs to be stored on screen. What to check: that the call stays connected and that the words stay clear over noise.

A text or chat message sends the word and keeps it on the operator's screen. What to check: whether the operator sees the message at once and how long it stays visible.

OperatorLink is made by the team that publishes this site. It shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew, and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser. ^[1] STOP releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else. ^[1] HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and are cleared when the last person leaves. ^[1] Holding a move button keeps sending that move to the other phones; if it stops arriving for 2 seconds, they drop it. ^[1] One-tap calls such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear go out as chat messages. ^[1] Anyone who joins can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser. ^[1] The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it. ^[1] It runs in a phone browser with no app install. ^[1] On Android browsers signals such as STOP make the phone buzz; iPhone Safari ignores the buzz. ^[1] The app can be added to a phone's home screen as a standalone app. ^[1] OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Sending a signal without confirming the operator saw it is an error to avoid. A signal the operator has not confirmed may not have arrived, so ask for a spoken or typed reply each time. Leaving HOLD or SLOW on after the reason is gone tells the operator to keep waiting, so clear it the moment it is safe. Sending from a phone on silent can hide the signal; keep the volume and screen on for the whole shift. Letting two people send signals gives the operator conflicting orders, so keep one sender for each lift. Relying on a single phone with no backup stops work when that phone fails; keep hand signals or a radio ready. Typing a word that can be misread, such as a short form for HOLD, invites mistakes, so use the full words STOP, HOLD and SLOW. Failing to agree who clears a held signal leaves it on until someone guesses. Check the phone network at the start of the shift, because a weak signal fails exactly when it is needed.

Frequently asked questions

How to send STOP to the operator from a phone?

Use whatever method the crew agreed on, such as a voice call, a chat message or a signaling app. Say or send the full word STOP and then have the operator confirm it was seen before anyone acts on it. A short reply from the operator closes the gap between sending and acting.

What does HOLD do and how is it cleared?

HOLD pauses the work without stopping the whole job. Some tools keep HOLD on for everyone in the jobsite until it is cleared, so the crew needs to agree who clears it and when. Send HOLD when an action should pause, then clear it the moment the reason is gone and tell the operator. Leaving HOLD on after the reason passes makes the operator keep waiting for a clear that never comes.

Can a signal be sent from a phone without installing an app?

Yes. A plain call or a chat message needs no app. OperatorLink is one option that runs in a phone browser with no app install. ^[1] The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code and the crew joins from it. ^[1] It can be added to a phone's home screen as a standalone app. ^[1]

What happens if the phone loses signal while signalling?

Agree on a backup before the shift, such as hand signals or a radio, and keep it within reach. Holding a move button keeps sending that move to the other phones; if it stops arriving for 2 seconds, they drop it. ^[1] Tell the operator when the phone fails and switch to the backup rather than guessing. Check the network at the start of the shift so a weak signal does not fail exactly when it is needed.

Is OperatorLink free to use?

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. ^[1] It runs in a phone browser with no app install, ^[1] and it shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew while passing button presses, chat and voice between phones. ^[1] A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins, and a jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours. ^[1] ^[1]

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. ^[1]

Try OperatorLink

Sources

OperatorLink's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)