WhatsApp is working on a feature that would let someone without a WhatsApp account join a voice or video call. The guest would open a link in a browser and request to enter. No app download and no account creation would be required, and the host would still need to approve every account-free participant.
Existing WhatsApp calls and call links are officially documented. The guest-call feature remains under development, is not available even to beta testers, and no public release date has been shared yet.
WABetaInfo reported the under-development guest-call feature on WhatsApp Web.
How Guest Calls Differ From Existing Call Links
WhatsApp already offers call links for people who have accounts. The new work appears to extend that system. A WhatsApp user would create a link from the Calls tab, choose voice or video, and share it. Anyone receiving the link could open it in a browser.
For guests without accounts, an extra approval step would apply. The host must manually accept the request before the guest enters the call, and this control is mandatory for account-free participants in both one-to-one and group calls.
End-to-End Encryption for Guests
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is developing guest calls with end-to-end encryption. Instead of tying the encryption key to a registered account, the system would generate a key from the browser session itself. A unique identifier created when the guest opens the link would form the basis for that protection.
This approach mirrors the method already used for guest chats, which WhatsApp began rolling out earlier in 2026. Text conversations with non-account holders already exist in limited form. Guest calls would extend the same principle into real-time voice and video.
Why This Matters Beyond Convenience
For years, WhatsApp has required both parties to hold accounts, and that barrier still blocks communication with colleagues, clients, or family members who simply never installed the app. Guest chats began chipping at the wall for text. Guest calls would push further into live conversation.
One person can stay inside WhatsApp while the other joins temporarily from a browser. Whether this feels seamless enough to reduce the pressure to create an account is an open question; some guests may still prefer their own tools while others may find the experience simple enough to sign up afterward.
Link-based access is familiar ground for Zoom and Google Meet, where a URL has always been enough to enter a room. WhatsApp has spent years moving in the opposite direction, tying every conversation to a registered identity.
Relationship to Guest Chats and Current Limits
Guest chats already allow temporary text conversations through a browser link. Those chats carry documented restrictions: text-only communication and automatic expiry after ten days of inactivity. Guest calls appear to build on the same technical foundation. How many of the same limits will apply to voice and video remains unclear while the feature stays in development.
WhatsApp is testing ways to lower the cost of reaching people outside its user base without fully abandoning the account model.
What Remains Unconfirmed
No official statement from Meta has confirmed the feature or given a timeline. Availability outside the web-based implementation described by WABetaInfo remains unclear. The exact quality of the browser call experience, battery impact, and any additional restrictions for guests have not been detailed, including whether guest calls will carry the same text-only and expiry limits as guest chats. Whether the feature will eventually allow guests to start calls themselves or only join those created by account holders is also unknown.
Final Thoughts
Existing WhatsApp calls and call links are officially documented, but guest calls have no official Meta announcement. Existing WhatsApp calls and call links are officially documented, but guest calls have no official Meta announcement.
Guest chats carry documented limits, while guest calls suggest WhatsApp is experimenting with link-based access that does not force every participant to register. The decision about usefulness will rest with real conversations.
(Source)