WhatsApp now lets people join calls without creating an account. With its new guest calling feature, an invitation to catch up doesn’t have to come with a request to sign up for another service.
Announced October 14, the feature supports one-on-one conversations and groups of up to 32 people. Calls are free and end-to-end encrypted, with no time limit cutting a conversation short.
Someone with a WhatsApp account still has to organize it. They can open the Calls tab, select the plus icon, and create a call link to share with whoever they’re inviting.
Guests open that link in a computer browser and enter their name. They’ll land in a waiting room, where the host decides whether to let them in. Having the link alone won’t get someone into the conversation.
Only account holders can create those links. Guest access works for accepting an invitation, so someone who wants to arrange their own call will still need to sign up.
Guests can share their computer screen, making it possible to review something together without moving the conversation to another service. Hand raising and emoji reactions are available too, so joining without an account doesn’t limit someone to listening and speaking.
That access stops short of messaging. Guests can’t send messages or see other participants’ phone numbers, and they can’t directly bring anyone else into the call.
Hosts can also remove a guest after admitting them. That gives organizers a way to deal with an unwanted participant without ending the conversation for everyone.
WhatsApp plans to add Google Calendar and Outlook integrations later this year. Organizers will be able to install a WhatsApp plugin, connect their account, and include a call link in a calendar invitation.
For now, invitations rely on creating and sharing links through WhatsApp. The calendar options are still to come.
Before inviting someone who doesn’t use the app, check that they’ll have a computer handy. WhatsApp describes guest access through a computer browser and hasn’t confirmed the same process for phone browsers in this announcement.
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