WhatsApp is developing guest voice and video calling, which would allow people without an account to join calls via a link, without needing to download the app, create an account, or verify a phone number.
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According to a new report from WABetaInfo, the messaging platform is developing a new guest calling feature via WhatsApp Web, which would let non-users join a call through a link, without needing to download the app, create a profile, or verify a phone number.
Calling Anyone Without an Account
WhatsApp began rolling out its guest chat feature earlier this year, which lets users send messages to people without an account by sharing a link with them. The platform now appears to be preparing to extend the same idea to voice and video calls.
According to details revealed by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp users will be able to create a call link and share it through any communication method. The recipient will be able to open the link using a browser on a computer and join the conversation directly, without going through the account-creation process.
To address privacy concerns, WhatsApp will, according to the report, rely on temporary session identifiers generated by the browser for use in building encryption keys.
This would allow full end-to-end encryption to be maintained in guest calls, without collecting permanent user credentials.
Controls to Manage Guest Access
While removing the requirement to have an account could make communication faster, it also raises security concerns about the possibility of uninvited people joining calls.
According to the report, WhatsApp intends to address this issue by giving the call host full control over who can join.
A guest won't be able to enter an ongoing call simply by having the link, as the host will need to manually approve each guest's entry.
Hosts will also retain the ability to remove any guest causing disruption at any point during the call, or to end the call entirely.
WABetaInfo noted that the guest calling feature is still currently in development and has not yet become available in WhatsApp's beta version.
WhatsApp has not yet announced an official rollout date for the feature, but public testing is likely to begin in the coming months once development is complete.
