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Meta says WhatsApp users can now create call links that let people without WhatsApp accounts join calls through a computer browser. Hosts must admit guests, and guests cannot see other participants’ phone numbers or add people to the call.
Meta has introduced WhatsApp guest calling, allowing people without WhatsApp accounts to join calls through a link created by an account holder. The feature opens WhatsApp calls to invited guests using a computer browser, while keeping admission under the host’s control and limiting what guests can do once they enter.
To set up a call, a WhatsApp user opens the Calls tab, selects the plus icon, creates a call link and sends it to invitees. A guest opens the link in a computer browser, enters a name and waits for the host to admit them. Meta says guests can join both one-to-one and group calls; group calls can include up to 32 people.
Meta says guest calls are end-to-end encrypted and have no time limit. Guests can use some in-call tools, including screen sharing, emoji reactions and raising a hand. They cannot see other participants’ phone numbers, send messages or directly add another person. The host can remove a guest at any time, and every guest must be approved before entering.
Only people with a WhatsApp account can create a call link. Meta also said it plans to add integrations with Google and Outlook calendars later this year. The company says users will be able to install a WhatsApp plugin, connect an account and add a call link to a calendar invitation, so invitees can join with or without an account.
WhatsApp Calls Reach Beyond Accounts
Guest calling reduces a basic barrier to joining a WhatsApp call: invitees no longer need to have an account to participate. That may help people use the service for work, classes or tutoring when participants rely on different apps, without asking everyone to sign up before a conversation.
The feature also gives hosts controls over access. Approval is required, guests remain in a waiting room until admitted, and hosts can remove them. At the same time, restrictions on phone-number visibility and adding participants limit guests’ access to some information and functions. These controls matter when a call link is shared with people outside a participant’s usual contacts.
Meta presents the calls as free and without time limits, but the announcement does not compare the feature with other services or provide information about usage, reliability or availability across devices. Its practical value will depend on whether browser-based joining works smoothly for invited guests and whether the host’s controls suit the call.
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How WhatsApp Call Links Work
WhatsApp’s announcement describes guest calling as part of a series of calling updates made this year. The service already lets account holders create call links; the change is that people opening those links can now join without first having a WhatsApp account. The link still originates with an account holder, who controls admission.
The announced guest flow is browser-based on a computer: the guest opens the invitation, types a name and waits for approval. Meta says guests can share their computer screen and use reactions or hand-raising, but it does not say they can use every feature available to signed-in participants. The company has not described guest participation through a mobile browser or provided a complete feature-by-feature comparison.
Meta says calendar support for Google and Outlook is planned for later in 2026, rather than already being available as part of this announcement. The company frames those integrations as a way to add a call link directly to an invitation after installing a plugin and connecting a WhatsApp account.
““Anyone joining as a guest always needs the call host’s approval.””
— Meta
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Guest Access Details Still Pending
Meta’s announcement does not specify how quickly guest calling will reach all users, whether the rollout is limited by region or platform, or whether the feature requires a particular app version. It also does not provide technical details about the end-to-end encryption setup for people joining through a browser.
The company says guests can join using a computer browser, but does not clarify whether guests can join from mobile browsers or which browsers are supported. It also does not spell out whether every in-call function available to WhatsApp account holders is available to guests. The calendar integrations have no specific launch date beyond “later this year,” and Meta has not listed which plugin requirements or account permissions they will involve.
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Calendar Links Planned Later
Meta says guest calling is being introduced now and that Google and Outlook calendar integrations are planned for later in 2026. Those integrations are expected to let an account holder add a WhatsApp call link to a calendar invitation after installing the plugin and connecting an account. Meta has not announced a specific release date.
For now, the announced process is to create a link from WhatsApp’s Calls tab and send it to invitees. Hosts and guests will need to see how the browser-based joining and approval flow works in practice; broader rollout details and supported browser information have not been provided in the announcement.
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Key Questions
Can someone join a WhatsApp call without an account?
Yes. Meta says guests can open a call link in a computer browser, enter a name and request to join. A WhatsApp account holder must create the link and admit each guest.
Can a guest enter a call without the host’s permission?
No. Guests wait in a waiting room until the host lets them in. The host can also remove a guest from the call at any time.
What can guests do during a call?
Meta says guests can share their computer screen, react with emoji and raise a hand. Guests cannot send messages, see other participants’ phone numbers or add people directly to the call.
How many people can join a guest call?
Meta says guests can join one-to-one and group calls, with group calls supporting up to 32 people.
Are Google and Outlook calendar integrations available now?
No. Meta says those integrations are planned for later in 2026. The announcement did not provide a specific release date.
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