Cloud API Calling

Overview

The WhatsApp Business Calling API enables you to initiate and receive calls with users on WhatsApp using voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP).

Architecture

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Get Started

Step 1: Prerequisites

Before you get started with the Calling API, ensure that:

Your business number is in use with Cloud API (not the WhatsApp Business app)
Subscribe your app to the “calls” webhook field (unless you plan to use SIP)
1. The same app should also be subscribed to the WhatsApp Business Account of your business phone number
2. This app should have messaging permissions (whatsapp_business_messaging) for the business number
The business must have a messaging limit of at least 2000 business-initiated conversations in a rolling 24-hour period. More details on scaling your account capabilities.
Enable Calling features on your business phone number

Step 2: Configure optional calling features

The WhatsApp Business Calling API offers a number of features that affect when and how calling features appear to users on your WhatsApp profile

Inbound call control allows you to prevent users from placing calls from your profile
Business call hours allows you to avoid missed calls and direct users to message when your call center is closed
Callback requests offer users the option to request a callback when you don’t pick up a call or if your call center is closed

Learn more about call control settings

Step 3: Make and receive calls

You can test your WhatsApp Calling integration using public test numbers (PTNs) and Sandbox WhatsApp Business Account.

Learn more about testing your WhatsApp Calling API integration

Cloud API Calling offers two call initiation paths:

User-initiated calls: Calls that are made from a WhatsApp user to your business
Business-initiated calls: Calls that are made from your business to a WhatsApp user

Testing and Sandbox Accounts

Sandbox accounts are only available to Tech Partners.

Sandbox accounts and public test numbers (PTNs) enable you to test you WhatsApp Calling API integration with relaxed calling limitations.

You are also not required to have a messaging limit of at least 2000 business-initiated conversations in a rolling 24-hour period in order to test Calling API features when using PTNs and Sandbox accounts.

Calling is disabled by default on test numbers. You must configure calling features in phone number call settings before using the Calling API on a test number.

Learn more about Sandbox WhatsApp Business Accounts

Differences in calling limits

Limit	Description	Prod number limit	PTN number limit
Temporary call duration	Duration a business has to call the user once permission is approved. Duration a user has to interact with a call permission request message.	7 days	No change
Connected call limit	Number of calls a business is allowed to make on approved permissions.	5 connected calls per 24 hrs	100 calls per day
Call Permission Request message limits	Limits the number of call permission request messages that can be sent to the same consumer	1 request per day 2 requests per week	25 requests per day 100 requests per week
Unanswered call limits	When a business initiated call goes unanswered (In essence, is rejected by the user or missed by the user).	Revoke permission on 4 consecutive unanswered calls	Nudge on 5 consecutive unanswered calls Revoke on 10 consecutive unanswered calls

Availability

User-initiated Calling (UIC)

UIC is available in every location Cloud API is available

Business-initiated Calling (BIC)

BIC is currently available in every location Cloud API is available, except the following countries:

USA
Canada
Turkey
Egypt
Vietnam
Nigeria

Note: The business phone number’s country code must be in this supported list. The consumer phone number can be from any country where Cloud API is available.

Next steps

Use our guides below to help you get started with integrating and using calling features in your application:

Changelog

Use this table as a centralized place to keep track of feature updates related to WhatsApp Business Calling APIs

Date	Title	Description
Oct 13 2025	Update in business initiated call limit Added "Testing and Sandbox" section to documentation	The number of business-initiated calls per user has been increased to 10 per day from 5 per day. Learn more about business-initiated call limits A Testing and Sandbox accounts has been added to the documentation
Sep 29 2025	Asterisk integration guide	New guide to integrate with Asterisk
Sep 24 2025	Context propagation from call buttons and deeplinks	Specify an opaque string in call buttons or call deeplinks to help with tracking the origin of user-initiated calls. Learn more
Sep 08 2025	Health status API calling update	Health Status API is now extended to include a new `can_receive_call_sip` field to help you self-diagnose issues related to SIP setup
Sep 05 2025	Introduced new low call pickup calling restrictions	Low call pickup rate restrictions are now in effect. Learn more at Calling Restriction for Low Call Pickup Rates
Jul 21 2025	Account settings update webhooks	Get webhooks when settings are updated. Learn more.