WhatsApp Business Calling API: The Complete Guide for 2026
The WhatsApp Business Calling API launched on 15 July 2025. Businesses can now make and receive VoIP calls with customers directly inside WhatsApp. This guide covers everything you need to know to get started with Chakra Chat.
What is the WhatsApp Business Calling API?
The WhatsApp Business Calling API enables businesses to initiate and receive Voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls with customers directly on WhatsApp. It is part of the WhatsApp Cloud API hosted by Meta and integrates voice calling seamlessly into existing messaging conversations — giving customers a unified, multi-modal experience without switching apps.
Unlike traditional telephony, calls take place entirely within WhatsApp, are end-to-end encrypted, and appear in the same conversation thread as your messages.
Why It Matters: Value Proposition
Meta describes the core offering as: Trusted, Multi-Modal, Feature-Rich Global Connection. Here is what that means for your business:
Value | What It Means for Your Business |
|---|---|
Unified Communication | One verified number for all messaging and calling — inbound and outbound — on a single platform. |
Branding & Trust | WhatsApp's built-in verification gives instant brand trust globally, with no need for third-party trust providers. |
Customer Relationship | A single point of contact deepens personal touch and increases long-term customer loyalty. |
Sales & Support | Centralise lead management and support channels, unlocking upsell and cross-sell opportunities. |
Rich Features | Voice calls today, with video and screen sharing planned — plus full call customisation tools. |
Call Deflection | Move traditional calls into WhatsApp to leverage interactive messaging and reduce support costs. |
Customer Convenience | Always free for the end user, globally accessible through an app they already have. |
Record Keeping | One persistent thread stores the entire text and voice history for every customer. |
Key Features & Capabilities
- Secure voice calls: VoIP calling over WhatsApp with end-to-end encryption — no traditional phone network required.
- Two-way: Two-way calling: businesses can both receive calls from customers and initiate calls to customers.
- User-initiated calling: Customers can tap the call icon in the business profile or chat window, or select a call button sent in a message.
- Business-initiated calling: Businesses can call customers after obtaining explicit permission via a call permission request template sent during an open conversation.
- IVR integration: IVR menus let customers navigate using a numeric keypad displayed inside WhatsApp, improving routing and self-service.
- Call routing: Calls can be routed to WebRTC or SIP-based systems. Traditional phone network bridging is not supported.
- Configurable availability: Configure call icon visibility, business hours, inbound call controls, and callback requests.
- Contact centre integration: Integrates with cloud contact centre and VoIP platforms for seamless messaging-to-voice handoff.
- Cloud-native: Part of the Meta-hosted Cloud API — no infrastructure to manage.
- Coming soon: Video calling and screen sharing are on the roadmap. Reach out to Chakra Chat for timeline details.
Business-Initiated Calling:
Because businesses are initiating the call, Meta requires explicit user consent. Here is the flow:
- Send a call permission request template during an open conversation (marketing, utility, authentication, service, or free entry point conversation window).
- Limits: 1 permission request per 24 hours and 2 per week per user.
- Once the user grants permission, the business has 72 hours to place one call.
- Unanswered or rejected calls count against quality thresholds — 2 consecutive unanswered calls trigger a system message; 4 consecutive unanswered calls revoke the permission automatically.
Technical Architecture
The Calling API supports three signalling and media configurations:
Configuration | Signalling Protocol | Signalling Transport | Media Protocol | Audio Codec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Default (Graph API + Webhooks) | Graph APIs + Webhooks | HTTPS | WebRTC (ICE + DTLS + SRTP) | OPUS |
SIP with WebRTC | SIP (explicit enablement required) | TLS | WebRTC (ICE + DTLS + SRTP) | OPUS |
SIP with SDES media | SIP (explicit enablement required) | TLS | SDES SRTP | OPUS / PCMA / PCMU |
Additional audio codecs (PCMA, PCMU / G.711) are supported. You can also use SDES instead of ICE+DTLS with the default Graph API + Webhook signalling.
Key Requirements to enable WhatsApp API Calling
- WhatsApp Business Account on Cloud API
Your business phone number must be registered and actively used with the WhatsApp Business API with a provider like Chakra Chat to enable calling features. - Facebook Business Manager Account and Verification:
- A verified Facebook Business Manager account is mandatory.
- Complete verification of Facebook Business process with legal documents
- Verified business profile
3. Dedicated Phone Number
The phone number used must be dedicated to the WhatsApp Business API and not linked to an existing WhatsApp account. It must be capable of receiving SMS or voice calls for verification.
4. User Permission Management
For business-initiated calls, an explicit user permission has to be obtained during an open conversation (marketing, utility, authentication, service, or free entry point). The API enforces limits on permission requests and call windows.
5. Call Control and UI Integration
Solution providers can implement call controls such as enabling/disabling call buttons, business hours settings, and creating call deep links for easy access across channels (web, app).
6. WhatsApp Solution Provider (BSP)
Businesses should use any WhatsApp Solution Providers/BSPs (e.g., Twilio, Chakra Chat) for easier integration, infrastructure management, and additional features like analytics, automation, and integrations.
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Use Cases
The WhatsApp Business Calling API can help businesses with various use cases by integrating voice calls seamlessly into their WhatsApp customer interactions, enhancing their customer engagement, support, and sales outcomes:
Use Case | How Calling Helps |
|---|---|
Customer Support | Escalate complex chat queries to a voice call without the customer switching apps or providing a phone number. |
Sales Conversion | Agents can close deals in real time over voice after a chat-based lead qualification flow. |
Payment Follow-up | Call customers who have not responded to payment reminder messages for urgent collections. |
Post-Purchase Support | Handle returns, complaints, or product queries over voice with the full chat history visible. |
Appointment Booking | Combine automated messaging for scheduling with agent calls for confirmations or changes. |
IVR Self-Service | Route customers through an in-WhatsApp IVR menu to reduce agent load. |
AI Voicebot | Use the raw media stream to power an AI voice agent directly inside WhatsApp calls. |
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Pricing
User-initiated calls are free to businesses. Business-initiated calls are charged per minute, calculated in six-second increments (rounded up). A valid payment method is required on your Meta account to place business-initiated calls.
Pricing varies by the destination country of the customer's number. The table below shows list rates (base volume tier). Volume discounts of up to 50% are available at enterprise tiers.
Market / Region | List Rate (USD/min) |
|---|---|
India | $0.005 |
Netherlands | $0.006 |
Mexico | $0.009 |
Argentina | $0.010 |
France | $0.010 |
Germany | $0.010 |
Russia | $0.010 |
United Kingdom | $0.010 |
Rest of Africa | $0.010 |
Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | $0.010 |
Rest of Western Europe | $0.010 |
Brazil | $0.011 |
Colombia | $0.011 |
Malaysia | $0.011 |
South Africa | $0.011 |
Rest of Asia Pacific | $0.011 |
Chile | $0.012 |
Italy | $0.012 |
Pakistan | $0.012 |
Peru | $0.012 |
Rest of Latin America | $0.012 |
Israel | $0.013 |
Saudi Arabia | $0.013 |
Spain | $0.013 |
United Arab Emirates | $0.013 |
Rest of Middle East | $0.013 |
Other | $0.013 |
Indonesia | $0.024 |
Egypt | Not supported (BIC) |
Nigeria | Not supported (BIC) |
Turkey | Not supported (BIC) |
USA / Canada | Not supported (BIC) |
Limits & Quotas
Parameter | Limit |
|---|---|
Max concurrent calls per phone number | 1,000 |
Max call duration | No limit |
Business-initiated calls per user per day | 100 |
Call permission requests per user per 24 hours | 1 |
Call permission requests per user per week | 2 |
Call window after permission granted | 72 hours / 1 call |
Consecutive unanswered calls before permission revoked | 4 (production) |
WhatsApp versions supporting call icon (consumer) | Android/iOS 2.23.14+ |
WhatsApp versions supporting call icon (business) | 2.24.10.8+ |
Calling from WhatsApp Web / Desktop | Not supported |
Key updates
Date | Update |
|---|---|
March 2026 | G.711 (PCMA/PCMU) audio codec support added — new audio codec settings in call configuration. |
January 2026 | Calling restrictions based on user feedback went live. |
December 2025 | Business-initiated call limit increased to 100 calls per user per day (up from 10). |
December 2025 | restrict_to_user_countries added to call icon settings for country-level visibility control. |
October 2025 | Business-initiated call limit increased from 5 to 10 per day. Sandbox accounts added. |
September 2025 | Asterisk SIP integration guide published. Context propagation added for call buttons and deep links. Low call pickup rate restrictions introduced. |
August 2025 | Health Status API extended with can_receive_call_sip field for SIP diagnostics. |
July 2025 | Settings update webhooks added. WhatsApp Business Calling API launched publicly. |
Conclusion
Overall, the WhatsApp Business Calling API empowers businesses to meet customer expectations for voice interactions on a platform they already use, driving better support, sales, and operational efficiency across industries such as finance, healthcare, retail, and more. Sign up with Chakra Chat for early access to the WhatsApp Calling feature as this goes live soon.
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FAQs
Are international calls supported?: Yes, cross-border calls are supported wherever Cloud API is available.
Can calls and messages share the same number?: Yes. The same Cloud API phone number handles both messaging and calling.
Can I send messages during a call?: Yes. The standard message API works while a call is in progress.
Does Meta provide call recording, transcription, or voicemail?: Not natively — but Chakra Chat and other WhatsApp Solution Partners can provide these as value-added services on top of the raw audio stream.
Can an AI voicebot handle calls?: Yes. Meta provides the raw media stream; BSPs like Chakra Chat can layer AI voice capabilities on top.
Are call analytics available?: Yes. Call insights are available in both WhatsApp Manager and the Analytics API.
Can toll-free numbers be used for calling?: Yes, provided the country code is in the supported list.
What happens when the concurrent call limit is reached?: Callers receive a generic message that the call cannot be placed. No webhook is fired. Meta plans to increase this limit over time.
Is calling supported from WhatsApp Web or Desktop?: No. Only the WhatsApp mobile app (Android and iOS) supports business calls.