WhatsApp guest calling: join an encrypted call without an account or the app

WhatsApp is opening guest calling: you can invite people who do not have a WhatsApp account onto a free, end-to-end encrypted call, the company wrote on its blog today. Guests do not need the mobile app either — they join from a computer browser after typing a name.

How it works

Only someone with a WhatsApp account can start a call and create a link (Calls tab → “+” → call link). Guests open the link, wait in a waiting room, and enter only when the host approves. The host can remove guests at any time.

Guests can join 1:1 or group calls with up to 32 people. WhatsApp says they get core features such as screen sharing, hand raising, and emoji reactions (thumbs up / heart). The company also says guest calls have no time limit.

Guest limits

Privacy and control stay with the host. Guests cannot:

• see other participants’ phone numbers
• send messages in the call chat
• add anyone else to the call

That keeps guest mode closer to a meeting invite than a full WhatsApp identity.

Calendar integrations later

Later this year WhatsApp plans Google and Outlook calendar plugins so hosts can attach a WhatsApp call link to invites. Invitees could then join with or without an account once that rolls out.

The feature mirrors the idea of joining FaceTime without an Apple ID, but the rules above are WhatsApp’s own — useful for tutors, classmates or colleagues who refuse to install yet another messenger.