WhatsApp Voice Calling: Everything You Need to Know (2024)

WhatsApp has offered voice calling between users since 2015. It has since replaced traditional phone calls for many users. If you have a Wi-Fi connection and want to make an international call, there are few better options out there.

But what about the nuances of the feature and how do WhatsApp calls work? How many people can be on a call? Are these WhatsApp calls free? Let's take a look.

Are WhatsApp Calls Free?

WhatsApp voice calling is free, even when making international calls. However, the calls do use your Wi-Fi connection or mobile data plan, so there are technically some costs involved.

But compared to voice calls made through your mobile network or phone provider, these data charges are generally more favorable.

How Do WhatsApp Calls Work?

WhatsApp calls are made via the internet. That means a call will use your data plan, not your network's voice calling ability. In this regard, it works like Skype.

However, you can't make calls to numbers that aren't connected to WhatsApp, which makes it slightly different from a true VoIP service.

How to Start a Call From WhatsApp

To start a voice call on WhatsApp, open a chat and select the phone icon. This will start a call with the selected contact.

You can minimize the window and continue your call while accessing other apps and windows on your phone.

If you have an existing chat with someone not saved to your contacts, you can still use voice calling on WhatsApp. However, WhatsApp also allows you to automatically silence unknown callers on the app, so your call may not go through if the recipient does not have you saved in their contacts. They will receive a notification for a missed call though.

Are Video Calls Supported on WhatsApp?

Video calls are also available on WhatsApp.

To start a video call rather than a voice call, just tap the video camera icon rather than the phone icon in the top-right corner of the screen.

You can also switch from a voice call to a video call by tapping the video camera icon during a call.

Are Group Calls Supported on WhatsApp?

You can also make group voice calls on WhatsApp. Up to 32 people can join a voice call. If your group chat has more than 32 people in it, you will need to select who to invite to the group call. If your group is smaller, you can select the phone icon and select the type of call you want to start. After selecting Voice call, the call will automatically start.

You can either invite participants from a group chat, use a WhatsApp call link, or add different contacts to an existing voice call in an individual chat.

Is Call Waiting Available on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp supports call waiting. If you are on another call when someone tries to ring you, you with be alerted with an in-ear sound or on-screen alert. The incoming call will not interrupt your current call.

When you have a call waiting, you can choose to select either End & Accept (to end your current call and take the new one) or Decline (to continue with your current call).

Are There Any Restrictions on Making WhatsApp Phone Calls?

While the benefits of using WhatsApp phone calls are immense, you will still have to deal with a few notable restrictions and drawbacks.

For example, you can't call users who do not have WhatsApp installed on their device. Similarly, you cannot place calls to regular numbers (including both landlines and cell phones). This is different from Skype and smartphone apps that specialize in VoIP-to-phone calls.

Secondly, although WhatsApp Web integrates with your phone's WhatsApp app, it has no support for WhatsApp calls. So you can't check incoming calls on WhatsApp Web, nor can you make a call from your browser.

However, you can make calls from WhatsApp Desktop. The web app and the desktop app have indistinguishable interfaces, but the desktop app requires you to run a short installation process.

How Much Data Does a WhatsApp Call Use?

We tested how much data WhatsApp uses on a voice call by tracking mobile data usage in the app,

A five-minute voice call used a total of 3MB of data: 1.2MB of sent data and 1.8MB of received data. This data was tracked within the WhatsApp app, under Settings > Storage and data > Network usage. WhatsApp has a specific tab for calls, separate from other data usage like media and messages.

This is just an estimate, but the cost of the data that WhatsApp voice calls use seems to be more favorable than the cost of using your providers' voice calling. However, this will depend on your specific plan.

How Does WhatsApp Call Compare to Competitors?

WhatsApp is not the only instant messaging app that offers free VOIP calls. Some of its most notable competitors include Viber, Skype, Telegram, and Zoom. Each of them has different features and different pros and cons.

If WhatsApp hasn't sold you on its calling functions, you can consider one of its alternatives.