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WhatsApp Business Calling Overview

Introduction​

WhatsApp Business Calling lets businesses and customers connect via voice calls directly inside the WhatsApp app, using the messaging channel your customers already know.

Additional Resource: WhatsApp Business Calling API Developer Documentation

Topology​

8x8 interconnects with Meta over SIP and bridges the call to the customer's SIP endpoint over SIP. There is no Meta Cloud API in the calling path, and there is no 8x8 API for placing a call.

WhatsApp user  →  Meta  —SIP→  8x8 CPaaS  —SIP→  Customer SBC / PBX / Contact Center

When is SIP used, and when are REST APIs used?​

Two different planes — do not conflate them.

PlaneProtocolWhen it applies
Voice / mediaSIP end-to-endEvery call, every path (Direct SIP, Converse, Genesys, VCC). Meta ↔ 8x8 and 8x8 ↔ customer are both SIP.
Permission & template lifecycleREST APIs on chatapps.8x8.com (+ MO and CABM webhooks)Only Direct SIP + BIC. Converse handles this natively; Genesys/VCC don't offer BIC today. UIC needs neither.

There is no REST API to place a call. Calls are always triggered from the customer's SIP endpoint (or handled by Converse). See business-initiated calling for the Direct SIP + BIC API walkthrough.

Choose your integration path​

WhatsApp Calling on 8x8 is delivered through one of four paths. All paths are configured with your 8x8 account manager during onboarding — none are fully self-service.

PathCalling todayPermissions & templates
Direct SIPUIC and BICCustomer builds against the 8x8 ChatApps API (see business-initiated calling)
8x8 ConverseUIC and BICTemplate send and permission-webhook handling are baked into the Converse integration — the customer does not build against the ChatApps API
GenesysUIC only (BIC to be worked in)Not applicable while UIC only
VCC via AI StudioUIC onlyNot applicable

Identify your path before reading the business-initiated page — a Converse customer does not need the permission-database and API build described there; Converse already handles it.

Prerequisites​

8x8 packaging:

  • WhatsApp Messaging must be active first. 8x8 bundles WA Calling with WA Messaging — Calling cannot be enabled standalone.
  • 8x8 Connect account with the WA Calling entitlement.

Meta requirements:

  • WhatsApp Business phone number in use with Cloud API (not the WhatsApp Business app).
  • Meta Business Portfolio set up with the WABA and phone number, and business verification completed.
  • Minimum daily messaging tier of 2,000 unique recipients on the WhatsApp number. This is Meta's calling gate — reaching this tier requires business verification and healthy messaging quality signals, so verification is a de facto prerequisite even though Meta's calling FAQ notes it isn't a formal calling-only requirement.
  • Credit line attached to the WABA — required for BIC billing (see Pricing).

8x8 is listed on Meta's WhatsApp Business partner showcase as a WhatsApp Calling-capable partner. See also Meta's calling FAQ for platform-level rules.

Enabling WhatsApp Calling​

WA Calling is enabled through 8x8 Connect. Once requested, 8x8 kicks off an internal onboarding process. When onboarding completes, Connect shows WA Calling as enabled on the channel.

Call types​

User-initiated (UIC) — Customer-to-Business​

Customers call your business from a chat, from the business profile, from a VOICE_CALL button in a template, or from a wa.me/call/ deep link. UIC calls are free. See user-initiated calling.

Business-initiated (BIC) — Business-to-Customer​

Your business calls the customer via WhatsApp after they grant calling permission. BIC availability, template flow, and permission handling depend on your integration path. See business-initiated calling.

Reporting and post-call​

  • 8x8 Converse: reporting is available in the Converse reporting module.
  • Voice Session Summary (VSS) can be configured on demand — discuss with your account manager before enabling.
  • Call recording and the Voice Recording Uploaded (VRU) webhook are available for configuration through your account manager.

Geographic availability​

Business-Initiated Calls (BIC)​

NOT available in:

  • 🇺🇸 United States, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇹🇷 Turkey, 🇪🇬 Egypt, 🇻🇳 Vietnam, 🇳🇬 Nigeria

User-Initiated Calls (UIC)​

Available in most regions where the WhatsApp Cloud API is supported.

Sanctioned countries (all features blocked)​

🇨🇺 Cuba, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇰🇵 North Korea, 🇸🇾 Syria, 🇺🇦 Ukraine (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk regions)

Note

Geographic restrictions follow Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform policies and may change. Verify with your account manager and Meta's documentation.

Pricing​

ItemDetail
User-initiated callsFree
Business-initiated callsCharged on duration in 6-second pulses, by destination country code, tiered by monthly volume
Fractional pulsesRounded up (a 56-second call = 10 pulses)
Calls crossing a volume tierPriced entirely at the higher-volume rate
Call permission request messagesBilled as messages under standard per-message pricing
PrerequisiteValid payment method and a credit line attached to the WABA

Calling also affects the 24-hour customer service window: it starts or refreshes when a user calls the business (whether or not the business accepts) and when a user accepts a business-initiated call.

Call analytics (including cost and average duration) come from the WABA API with ?fields=call_analytics. See Meta pricing docs.

Operational limits​

ItemValue
Concurrent calls per business number1000
Call duration limitNone
CodecsOPUS, PCMA, PCMU
Bandwidth per call~60 kbps (OPUS), ~84 kbps (G.711)
Client support (BIC & permission requests)WhatsApp 2.24.14.x and later (Android, iOS)
Client support (voice call button)Android 2.24.1 and later
Call configuration propagationUp to 7 days to reflect on clients
WhatsApp Web / DesktopBusiness calls not supported for end users

Hitting the 100 connected calls / 24 hours limit does not revoke permission — it is a rate limit; the permission endpoint indicates when the next call is allowed. A connected call resets the permission-request rate limits. BIC calls bypass the user's Silence Unknown Callers setting.

Getting started​

  1. Confirm prerequisites (WA Messaging active, Meta business portfolio, payment method for BIC).
  2. Contact your 8x8 account manager to request WA Calling enablement and choose an integration path.
  3. Complete onboarding.
  4. For Direct SIP + BIC, build against the ChatApps API — see business-initiated calling.

Next steps​

Meta reference​

Support Channels​