Guide · Calls on WhatsApp · For the owner who calls customers from the shop's own phone

Calling customers from the WhatsApp Business app: voice and video calls, call links with an approval step, screen sharing, and calls from a computer

A customer wants to see the fabric before ordering, or a supplier wants to walk you through a quote. WhatsApp's Help Center describes voice and video calls, call links with a waiting room, and screen sharing. This guide puts those articles in the order a shop would use them, and says where each feature stops. The articles describe WhatsApp in general and do not say which countries calls work in, so this guide makes no claim either way.

Published 15 October 2026

Voice and video calls with one customer

WhatsApp's articles How to make a 1:1 voice call and How to make a 1:1 video call (read in their WhatsApp Web versions) say:

Over the internet: Calls use your internet connection and can reach a contact in another country. About call history on WhatsApp adds that WhatsApp calls use your phone's internet connection, not your phone plan, and won't show on your phone bill. Data rates apply through your mobile provider.
Starting a call: Open the chat with the customer and choose Call > Voice or Video. The microphone icon mutes you during the call.
No time limit on video: Video calls have unlimited duration. There is no auto-answer for video calls, and video calling isn't supported on a device without a camera.
Voice to video: On a voice call you can ask to switch to video. The call switches only if the other person accepts.
During a video call: You can raise your hand, send an emoji reaction, share your screen or add people.
On a computer: You need a microphone and a speaker or headset. WhatsApp says a headset gives the best audio, and separate external microphones and speakers might cause echo.

WhatsApp's Calling page adds that calls have no time limits, are end-to-end encrypted, offer HD-quality video and let you add a filter or background during a video call. It also says data charges may apply.

Our reading

These articles describe WhatsApp in general, not only the WhatsApp Business app. We read them as applying to the shop's Business-app number too. That is different from customers calling a number on Meta's platform, which is covered in WhatsApp Business Calling: letting customers call your business number.

Call links for appointments

WhatsApp's article How to create and share WhatsApp call links says anyone with a WhatsApp account can join your call by opening the link. You can send it in WhatsApp or copy it and share it another way.

Making one: Calls tab > New call link > choose Video or Voice, then switch Require approval to join on or off.
A new address each time: Every time you make a call link, WhatsApp says the address is different and secure.
Who can join: Anyone with the link can join, so WhatsApp says to share it only with people you trust. Contacts you have blocked can't join with it.
Expiry: Links expire after 30 days unused, and WhatsApp can revoke a link for privacy and security reasons.
The waiting room: With Require approval to join on, people wait until you let them in. Only the person who made the link sees the waiting room and can admit, deny or Approve all. It holds up to 128 people. Someone denied gets a message and can ask again.
Removing someone: Only the person who made the call link can remove someone from the call. Removed or blocked contacts can't rejoin.

About group calls says a call link can be made in advance and shared in a calendar invite, such as Outlook or Google Calendar. On size, the two articles differ: How to fix issues with WhatsApp call links says at most 256 people can join a call link, and About group calls says a call link shared in a group chat invites up to 32 participants.

Our reading

For a fitting, a site visit by video or a quote walk-through, make the link with Require approval to join switched on and send it only to that customer. A link someone forwards still lands in your waiting room.

Customers without WhatsApp join as guests

WhatsApp's call link articles say people without a WhatsApp account can join a call link as a guest:

A computer browser only: Guests join from a desktop web browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge.
Always approved: Guests always need approval to join, whatever the Require approval to join setting says. They appear in the call with (Guest) after their name.
What guests can do: Use audio, video, screen sharing and reactions. They can't add or remove people, start new calls or send messages.
When the call ends: If a guest is in the waiting room and every WhatsApp user leaves, the call ends for everyone, guests included. Otherwise it carries on until everyone has left.
If it doesn't work: Guests need a stable connection and can refresh the browser. A guest who sees You were removed from this call may have been removed by the person who made the link.

Group calls with staff or several customers

WhatsApp's articles How to make a group voice call and How to make a group video call (WhatsApp Web versions) say group calls take up to 32 people:

Three ways to start: From a group chat, from a chat with one person by adding others, or from the Calls tab.
Only some members: In a group chat, Select people > Call rings only the members you pick. With more than 32 members, pick up to 31 people for a video call. Only group members can join a call started from a group.
Missed it: You can join a missed group call while it is still going, from the Calls tab or the group chat. Ring notifies people who were invited again.
Muting and removing: You can mute someone else. How to make a group voice call says you can't remove a person during a group voice call. How to make a group video call says you can't remove someone from a group video call started from a chat. For calls from a call link, How to create and share WhatsApp call links says only the person who made the link can remove someone.
Quality: Group video quality depends on the person with the weakest connection.
Not for emergencies: Emergency service numbers can't be reached through WhatsApp.

About group calls says WhatsApp Events can schedule a group call with a date, a time, a voice or video call link and a reminder. Events in a customer group are covered in Running a customer group on WhatsApp.

Showing a product, a document or a form on screen

WhatsApp's article How to share your screen (read in its Android version) says you must be in a video call to share your screen. It isn't available on voice calls.

Starting: Tap the video controls > Share screen, then choose Share one app or Share entire screen. Stop Sharing ends it.
Everything shows: Everything on the shared screen, including usernames and passwords, is visible to the other person.
A reminder for strangers: If the person isn't saved in your contacts, WhatsApp reminds you to share only with people you trust. This reminder shows only in one-to-one chats.
Not recorded: Screen sharing is end-to-end encrypted and never recorded by WhatsApp.

Our reading

Share one app, not the whole screen, so a customer sees the catalogue or the quote and not other customers' chats, payment screenshots or a banking app. If you want AI-made backgrounds for video calls, they are in Making pictures for your WhatsApp business with Meta AI.

Calling from the office computer

Still arriving: WhatsApp's article About WhatsApp Web calling says the feature is rolling out gradually and may not be available to you yet.
Where it works: Windows, Linux and macOS. Calling works best on Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox, and certain browser versions may not be supported. WhatsApp for Windows or Mac is the native option.
Moving a call: How to transfer a WhatsApp call to a second device says you can move an active call to another device linked to your account. It connects on the new device and ends on the old one, and there is no limit on transfers.
Which calls move: WhatsApp says transfer is currently available only for group voice calls, group video calls and call links, and you can only be active in the call on one platform at a time. Use the same account and the latest version on both devices.
How: Open the same call link on the second device, tap Join here on the active call banner in the Calls tab or group chat, or tap the notification WhatsApp may show.

Our reading

A one-to-one call to a customer can't currently be handed from the phone to the computer this way. If you want to move between devices, start the call from a call link. Linking the computer, the 14-day rule and what syncs are in Answering customers from a computer.

A second call coming in, and the call log

Call waiting: WhatsApp's article How to use call waiting says a second WhatsApp call while you're on one won't interrupt it. Answer ends the current call and takes the new one; Decline keeps you on the current call. The same choice appears for an ordinary phone call, where carrier charges may apply.
Your phone's call history: About call history on WhatsApp says WhatsApp calls appear in your phone's call history. You can't stop that, but you can delete them.
The Calls tab: It shows incoming, outgoing and missed calls. Remove from call log deletes one call; Clear call log deletes them all.
No export: You can't email or export your call history. Deleted history comes back only from a backup, and WhatsApp can't restore or print it for you.

Our reading

The Calls tab is not a record you can hand to anyone. If a call agreed a price or a delivery date, confirm it in the chat afterwards. Silencing unknown callers would stop a new customer's call ringing; that setting is in Your WhatsApp business number was taken over.

When calls fail, and calling while abroad

WhatsApp's articles Can't make or receive WhatsApp voice calls and Can't make WhatsApp video calls (WhatsApp Web versions) list these steps:

The browser: Close and reopen or refresh the WhatsApp Web tab, and update the browser to a recent version.
The connection: Use a strong, stable connection, or try a different Wi-Fi network.
Permissions: Let the browser use notifications, camera and microphone for WhatsApp Web, and let the computer give the browser notification and screen sharing permissions.
Devices: Test the microphone, camera and speakers, make sure another app isn't using them, and don't use a virtual camera or audio device. Connect the computer to power when you can.
The office network: Router security and firewall settings may need to allow WhatsApp calling. The articles list the settings for whoever runs your network.
Contact is unavailable: This, or a call that rings once and hangs up, can mean the other person has a device problem, has blocked you, has Focus or Do Not Disturb on, or has no internet connection.

WhatsApp's article About data roaming charges says data charges might apply while your phone is roaming, and recommends Wi-Fi whenever possible. Settings > Storage and data > Network usage shows what you have used. With a local SIM abroad you can keep using WhatsApp on your home number, but re-verifying it needs the original SIM; travelling with a business number is covered in Registering your WhatsApp Business app number.

Our reading

None of these articles says which countries calls work in, so this guide makes no claim either way. Calls to a number on Meta's platform that cut off are a different problem, covered in When WhatsApp calls to your business cut off or go silent.

What this means for your shop

BitByteCore is a verified Meta Tech Provider (since 9 September 2026). This guide repeats WhatsApp's Help Center as we read it on 15 October 2026, and is not legal advice. The articles describe WhatsApp in general, not only the WhatsApp Business app.

Our reading

For most shops the useful pieces are a video call to show stock, a call link with approval for booked appointments, and screen sharing of one app for quotes. Confirm anything agreed on a call in the chat, because the call log can't be exported.

Questions

Can I video call customers from the WhatsApp Business app?

WhatsApp's Help Center says video calls use your internet connection, have no time limit and need a camera: open the chat and choose Call > Video. Those articles describe WhatsApp in general; that they apply to a Business-app number is our reading, and they don't say which countries calls work in.

Can a customer without WhatsApp join my call?

Yes, through a call link, as a guest from a desktop web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge). WhatsApp says guests always need your approval and can't send messages or add people.

How do I stop strangers joining my WhatsApp call link?

Switch on Require approval to join when you make the link, so anyone who opens it waits for you to let them in. WhatsApp says anyone with your call link can join, so share it only with people you trust; contacts you have blocked can't join with it.

How many people can join a WhatsApp group call?

WhatsApp's Help Center says group calls take up to 32 people. On call links, its articles differ: How to fix issues with WhatsApp call links says at most 256 people can join one, and About group calls says a link shared in a group chat invites up to 32.

Can I share my screen on a WhatsApp voice call?

No. WhatsApp says you must be in a video call to share your screen, and that everything shown, including passwords, is visible to the other person.

Can I move a WhatsApp call from my phone to my computer?

WhatsApp says call transfer currently works only for group voice calls, group video calls and call links, between devices linked to the same account.

Can I export my WhatsApp call history?

No. WhatsApp says you can't email or export your call history, and deleted history comes back only from a backup.

Who is BitByteCore?

BitByteCore is a verified Meta Tech Provider (since 9 September 2026). This guide repeats WhatsApp's Help Center, and is not legal advice.

Sources

WhatsApp Help Center: How to make a 1:1 voice call, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to make a 1:1 video call, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to create and share WhatsApp call links, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to fix issues with WhatsApp call links, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to make a group voice call, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to make a group video call, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About group calls, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to share your screen, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About WhatsApp Web calling, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to transfer a WhatsApp call to a second device, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to use call waiting, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About call history on WhatsApp, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: Can't make or receive WhatsApp voice calls, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: Can't make WhatsApp video calls, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About data roaming charges, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp: Voice and Video Calling, read 15 October 2026.

This guide describes WhatsApp's pages as we read them, and is not legal advice. More plain-language notes like this one are on the guides page.

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