Calling on WhatsApp: New ways to plan ahead and take part

Today we’re announcing new features on WhatsApp that make group calls easier to plan, and more interactive.

Whether you’re coordinating a catch-up with the entire family or scheduling a meeting with colleagues, sometimes you need to plan ahead. Now you can schedule calls and invite people or groups to join in advance by pressing the + button in your Calls tab > 'Schedule call'.

You can see and manage all your upcoming calls in the Calls tab, alongside a list of attendees and call links to add to your personal calendar or share with others. Helpfully, all participants will receive a notification when a call is about to begin.

We’ve also introduced new ways for users to express themselves on group calls. Now you can raise your hand to indicate you’d like to speak, or send a reaction to take part without interrupting.

Call links also just got an upgrade. Now, as a call link creator, you'll receive notifications when someone joins.

As always, your personal calls on WhatsApp are protected by end-to-end encryption.

We hope these features help make calls even more fun and productive. We look forward to hearing what you think.