Meta says WhatsApp now lets you invite someone to a call even if they have no WhatsApp account. Meta announced guest calling on Oct. 14, and The Verge covered it. Meta says calls are free, end-to-end encrypted and have no time limits.
How Meta says it works
Meta says a host opens the Calls tab in WhatsApp, taps the "+" icon, creates a call link and sends it. Meta says guests open the link in their computer browser, type a name and join once the host admits them. It says only people with a WhatsApp account can create a call link.
Meta says guests always need the host's approval, wait in a waiting room until let in, and can be removed at any time. It says guests cannot see other participants' phone numbers, send messages or add anyone else. Calls can be 1:1 or groups of up to 32 people, per Meta.
Meta says guests can share their computer screen, react with a thumbs up or heart, and raise a hand. Later this year, Meta says, calendar integrations will let you add a call link to a Google or Outlook calendar invite.
What is still unsettled
Meta's post names only the computer browser for guests. It does not say whether a guest can join from a phone's browser, or whether that depends on the host using the phone app or the desktop app.
Meta's post also does not say which platforms can create the link: it points to the Calls tab in WhatsApp without naming phone or desktop.
How the free caps compare
Meta says WhatsApp guest calls have no time limit and hold up to 32 people.
Zoom's page lists its free Basic plan at 40 minutes and 100 participants per meeting. Google says anyone with a Google Account can host a meeting with up to 100 participants and 60 minutes at no cost, with no limit for mobile calls and 1:1s.
Why it matters
Our read: the no-time-limit promise is the practical draw for tutoring or family calls that run past an hour. The trade-off is scale and reach. Meta's 32-person cap is under a third of the 100 that Zoom and Google list, and Meta names only computer browsers for guests. Meta says the host still needs a WhatsApp account.
