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WhatsApp is preparing to let calls reach people who have never installed the app.
According to a new report, WhatsApp is developing a Guest Calling feature. It would let a WhatsApp user generate a call link and send it to anyone, even someone who has never used WhatsApp. That person could then join the voice or video call directly from a web browser, with no app download or sign-up required.
WhatsApp has not publicly confirmed the feature. Sources say Guest Calling has not reached beta testers yet and remains under development, so things could still change before any public release.
The idea is not completely new. WhatsApp already lets users generate a shareable Call Link that other WhatsApp users can join. The new version extends that same link so people who receive it can join the call without a WhatsApp account. This feature is spotted in the code for WhatsApp Web.
Based on the report, the process would work like this:
- A WhatsApp user opens the Calls tab and creates a call link.
- Next, the user sends that link to someone who does not have WhatsApp, through email or another messaging app.
- The recipient opens the link in a web browser and joins through WhatsApp Web, without downloading the app or creating an account.
- The host must approve the guest before they can enter the call.
That approval step matters. Without it, anyone who gets hold of the link could join a call uninvited.
But how will WhatsApp keep the call end-to-end encrypted without an account?
Reports suggest that the app would generate a unique identifier for each guest session and use it to create the encryption key for that call. This means the call would still use WhatsApp’s standard end-to-end encryption, even though the guest never signed up for the service.
Once a guest joins, the person who created the call link keeps authority over the session. Reports describe a few controls available to the host, such as:
- Approving or denying a guest’s request to join
- Removing a specific guest from the call at any time
- Ending the call for everyone, including other WhatsApp users on the line
Guest calls also appear to be temporary by design. Once a call ends, there is no indication the app keeps a record tied to the guest. If the same person wants to join again later, they would need a new link.
This is not WhatsApp’s first step toward non-user access. In March 2026, WhatsApp began testing guest chats, a similar system built for text conversations. That feature is still rolling out to a limited number of users on Android, iOS, and Web.
Guest chats work in a similar way. A WhatsApp user shares an invite link, and the recipient joins the conversation through a browser without an account. But the two features are not the same. Guest chats support text only, with no photos, videos, voice messages, or group chats, and they expire automatically after 10 days of inactivity.
Guest calls appear to work differently. Because a call happens in real time, there is no multi-day window to manage. The session exists only while the call is active.
Most WhatsApp use already happens between people who both have the app. But some situations exist where only one side does, such as a business trying to reach a customer, a call to someone who uses a different messaging app, or parents who don’t want to install anything new. Guest calling would let a WhatsApp user reach that person directly, without asking them to sign up first.
WhatsApp has not officially announced Guest Calling, and there is no confirmed release date. This feature could be delayed, changed, or dropped before it reaches the public.
