WhatsApp has announced the launch of call links on the messaging app.
WhatsApp has announced that it will be rolling out a call link feature that will allow users to join voice and video calls on the messaging app. The functionality is similar to links generated by other meeting applications.
Start a call link on WhatsApp
The company announced the new feature in a Twitter post on September 26, 2022. Call links work similarly to Google Meet or Zoom links, allowing you to share a call’s join link across various platforms.
WhatsApp head Will Cathcart shared an image preview of the feature, which users can access in the Calls tab.by clicking Create a call link option, users can generate a link that they can share with others inside and outside WhatsApp. This will allow people who are not in your contacts to join the call.
If you haven’t seen the feature on your device yet, that’s because it’s starting to roll out this week.
The call link feature comes after other quality of life improvements, such as the ability to silently leave groups and adjust presence visibility settings.
However, calling links can pose privacy concerns if the link is shared with unintended participants. Leaks of Zoom links have derailed group meetings in the past, and video calling platforms have imposed more access controls on hosts.
Whether WhatsApp will let call hosts control access remains to be seen. The app only recently introduced the ability for group admins to delete messages. All of these changes seem to be rolling out WhatsApp Communities first.
WhatsApp calling just got easier
The introduction of Call Links is another step in making WhatsApp the business and community platform that messaging apps are turning to. However, its usefulness will depend on how much control WhatsApp has over the calling host.