Fact-Checked by Irfan Ahmad. WhatsApp is introducing guest calling, allowing people without WhatsApp accounts to join voice and video calls through invitation links. The company announced the feature on October 14, 2026, saying guests can join one-to-one and group calls without creating an account. To invite guests, a WhatsApp user creates a link by pressing “New call link” from the Calls tab and shares it with participants (as an example, the final link might look something like this https: //web. whatsapp. com/call/voice/h30YoySw6hlgYFAB1Z5zbE/). Guests open the link in a desktop web browser, enter their names and wait for the host to approve their entry. Only WhatsApp account holders can create call links. Screenshot of Whatsapp Web on PC showing the guest call interface. Credit: DIW. CC BY Calls can accommodate up to 32 participants. Guests can use audio and video, share their computer screens, react with emojis and raise their hands. They cannot see other participants’ phone numbers, send messages, add participants or “add anyone else directly to the call”. Hosts can remove guests from a call. WhatsApp says its calls are free, end-to-end encrypted and have no time limits. However, it is important to note that, users may still incur internet or mobile-data charges from their service providers. According to WhatsApp’s Help Center, call links expire after 30 days if unused. Contacts blocked by the person who created a link cannot join through it, and WhatsApp may revoke links for privacy or security reasons. Account-free meeting access is also available on other platforms. Google Meet lets people without Google accounts request to join meetings, Microsoft Teams supports joining meetings without an account, and Zoom allows guests to join through a browser when the host’s settings permit it. As per WBI, WhatsApp is also rolling out chat themes on WhatsApp Web, giving users 27 preset designs that change chat colors and wallpapers together. The feature is gradually becoming available to users, and each person’s theme is private to their own view of a conversation. Separately, WhatsApp is rolling out scheduled messages to some Android beta testers, allowing them to schedule text, links, photos and videos for delivery at a chosen time, even when their device is offline. Both features are being introduced gradually, so they are not yet available to everyone. Read next: Ahead of Holiday Shopping, Survey Finds 86. 8% Own Fast Tech, 77. 6% Bought It Last Year, and 63. 9% Do Not Plan to Buy Less
WhatsApp Lets People Join Calls Without an Account
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