WhatsApp users can now bring people into a call who do not have the app or an account. Meta's messaging service introduced a guest calling feature that lets a host send a link, which a recipient can click to join an end-to-end encrypted call. Guests do not need to install anything or register, because the web version of WhatsApp also supports calls after an earlier addition this year.
The host still needs an account to start the call. Guests move through a waiting room and can only enter once the host approves them, and the host can remove them at any point. Once inside, guests can use call features including hand raising, screen sharing and emoji reactions.
Meta placed limits on what guests can do. They cannot see the phone numbers of other participants, send messages, or add other people to the call on their own. The company says the calls remain end-to-end encrypted even with outside guests on the line.
Meta also plans calendar integrations for WhatsApp calls with Google and Outlook later this year. Users will install a WhatsApp plugin and connect their account, after which a WhatsApp call link can be sent along with calendar invites. The feature follows Meta's push to make WhatsApp calling work beyond its own app.
The change matters for US consumers who frequently coordinate calls across different apps and devices, since invitees on competing platforms can participate through a browser link. It also keeps the account requirement in place for anyone who wants to host. Meta has not said whether the guest option will expand to other parts of the WhatsApp product.
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