Business-initiated calling

Business-initiated WhatsApp Business Calling allows your business to place a voice call to a user after the user has explicitly granted permission. This enables timely and direct communication while ensuring compliance with Meta's opt-in and usage policies.

Availability

Business-initiated calling is supported for WhatsApp senders based on the country code of their business phone number.

This feature is available in all countries where the WhatsApp for Business platform operates, except the following:

• Canada
• Cuba
• Egypt
• Iran
• Nigeria
• North Korea
• Syria
• Turkey
• Ukraine regions: Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk
• United States
• Vietnam

Businesses registered in these countries cannot use the business-initiated calling feature.

How to enable business-initiated calling

To use business-initiated calling, you must first activate WhatsApp voice for your sender in the Infobip web interface.

1. In the web interface (opens in a new tab), open the Numbers app.
2. Select your WhatsApp sender number.
3. Open the WhatsApp tab.
4. Select Activate WhatsApp voice.

If you do not see the option to activate WhatsApp voice, the WhatsApp voice routes are not enabled on your account. Contact your account manager or Support (opens in a new tab).

Call permission rules

Before your business can place a call, the user must accept a permission request sent using the WhatsApp API. Meta applies the following rules:

• Request limits
  • You can send one call permission request every 24 hours.
  • If the user does not respond, you can send up to two permission requests within a 7-day period.
  
  
• After the user grants permission
  • You can place up to five connected calls within a 24-hour window during the 7-day permission period.
  • If a call connects successfully, all limits reset, and you can send a new permission request immediately.
  
  
• Missed calls
  • If two consecutive calls go unanswered, the user receives a system prompt to review their calling preferences.
  • If four consecutive calls go unanswered, the user's permission is automatically revoked.
  
  
• User control
  • Users can revoke or update their call permissions at any time.

How to send a call permission request

You can use either a free-form, interactive call permission message (for active sessions), or a template message (outside the 24-hour window).

Free-form interactive message with a call permission request

Use this option to send a permission request during an active session. The user must have interacted with your business in the last 24 hours.

POST https://api.infobip.com/whatsapp/1/message/interactive/call-permission-request
{
  "from": "{{cloudSender}}",
  "to": "{{destination}}",
  "messageId": "{{$uuid}}"
}

Use this method for ongoing conversations within the 24-hour session window.

Message template with a call permission request

Use a pre-approved template to request permission outside the 24-hour session window. This method is suitable for re-engagement or follow-ups after inactivity.

POST https://api.infobip.com/whatsapp/2/senders/{{sender}}/templates
{
  "name": "template_with_call_permission_request",
  "language": "en",
  "category": "MARKETING",
  "structure": {
    "body": {
      "text": "We would like to call you to follow up on your request about {{1}} ",
      "examples": [
        "voice APIs"
      ]
    },
    "footer": {
      "text": "Talk to you soon"
    },
    "callPermissionRequest": {},
    "type": "MEDIA"
  }
}

Use this method to re-engage users after the session has expired.

Sending a message template with a call permission request is similar to sending a WhatsApp template message (opens in a new tab).

How to receive user responses

The user response to a call permission request can be received on a webhook. You can configure the webhook either using the API or directly in the Infobip web interface.

For additional information on inbound message configuration, refer to our documentation.

• Set up webhook in the web interface
  1. Log in to Infobip web interface (opens in a new tab) and go to Channels and Numbers > Numbers (opens in a new tab).
  2. Click or tap the number you want to configure and go to the WhatsApp tab.
  3. Under Inbound configuration, define a webhook where you want to receive responses to call permission requests.

• Set up webhook through the API
  • To set up your webhook through the API, refer to the Receive WhatsApp inbound messages (opens in a new tab).

Here is an example of a successful response sent to your webhook when a user accepts a call permission request:

{
  "results": [
    {
      "from": "{{cloudSender}}",
      "to": "{{destination}}",
      "integrationType": "WHATSAPP",
      "receivedAt": "2025-05-12T12:57:23.000+0000",
      "messageId": "wamid.HBgLMzI0NzUzODg3NzMVAgASGCAwQUNDNUU3NTA2OEE2OUVCNDUzQzE4MjRCRDk2RTk1MAA=",
      "pairedMessageId": "a28dd97c-1ffb-4fcf-99f1-0b557ed888da",
      "callbackData": "Callback data",
      "message": {
        "callPermissionReply": {
          "response": "ACCEPT",
          "expirationTimestamp": 1747659443000
        },
        "context": {
          "from": "{{cloudSender}}",
          "id": "a28dd97c-1ffb-4fcf-99f1-0b557ed888da",
          "groupId": null,
          "referredProduct": null
        },
        "type": "INTERACTIVE_CALL_PERMISSION_REPLY"
      },
      "contact": {
        "name": "Some One"
      },
      "price": {
        "pricePerMessage": 0,
        "currency": "EUR"
      }
    }
  ],
  "messageCount": 1,
  "pendingMessageCount": 4
}