WhatsApp guest calls: join a WhatsApp call from a link, no account or app needed

WhatsApp users can now invite anyone to a voice or video call with a link, even if the other person has no WhatsApp account and has not installed the app. Meta switched on the guest calling feature on 14 October, The Verge reported, and the guest joins from a web browser.

For families in Pakistan with relatives abroad who refuse to install WhatsApp, or for a small business that wants to talk to a client on a laptop, this removes the last step that used to stop a call.

How WhatsApp guest calls work

1. Start the call from your own WhatsApp account (the host still needs an account).
2. Create a call link and send it by SMS, email or any other app.
3. The guest opens the link in a browser. No app, no phone number and no sign-up is needed.
4. The guest lands in a waiting room. Nothing happens until the host lets them in.
5. Once inside, the guest can use hand raising, screen sharing and emoji reactions.

The call stays end-to-end encrypted, the same as a normal WhatsApp call, according to Meta's description reported by The Verge.

What a guest cannot do

The limits are tight, and they are there to stop strangers slipping into calls:

• Every guest needs the host's approval to join, and the host can remove a guest at any time.
• Guests cannot see the phone numbers of other people on the call.
• Guests cannot send messages in the chat.
• Guests cannot add anyone else to the call.

Calls on the web version of WhatsApp arrived earlier this year, which is what makes a browser-only guest possible now.

Calendar links coming later

Meta also plans Google Calendar and Outlook integrations for WhatsApp calls later in 2026. After installing a WhatsApp plugin and connecting an account, users will be able to attach a WhatsApp call link to a calendar invite, much as Zoom and Google Meet links work today.

What it means for users in Pakistan

WhatsApp is the default calling app for most smartphone users here, so the change mostly helps calls with people outside that habit: an overseas client, a relative on a work laptop, or a candidate in a job interview. A guest on a browser still uses mobile data or Wi-Fi like any other video call. If you are working out how much a heavy month of video calls adds to your phone bill, check the tax on top-ups with our mobile load tax calculator.

Keep the usual care with links: a call link works for anyone who has it, so send it only to the person you mean to call, and check the name in the waiting room before you let anyone in.