What is WhatsApp Calling?
WhatsApp Calling lets your business make and receive voice calls with your customers, right inside WhatsApp. Every call sits alongside the chat history in your Gallabox inbox, so whoever takes the call always has full context. When a customer calls your business, you choose who picks up:- A person on your team. Calls are routed to a User or Team by your Call Assignment Rules. See Incoming Calls.
- A Voice AI Agent. An AI answers your calls automatically, 24/7, then hands the conversation to your team with a summary, transcript and recording. See Voice AI Agent Calling.
- Incoming calls (User Initiated): a customer calls your business on WhatsApp. Handled by your team or a Voice AI Agent.
- Outgoing calls (Business Initiated): your team calls a customer from within the conversation, once that customer has given permission. See the Outgoing Calls guide. Voice AI Agents don’t place outgoing calls.
How It Works
Incoming, handled by your team: When calling is enabled, customers see a call button in your business chat and can call you for free. The call rings a User or Team based on your Call Assignment Rules. If no one can take it, your Busy Message is sent. Incoming, handled by a Voice AI Agent: The AI picks up instantly, handles the call, and saves a summary, transcript and recording to the conversation. Your Post Call Assignment Rules then pass the conversation to the right person on your team. Outgoing: Because WhatsApp protects users from unwanted calls, your business must have the customer’s permission before calling. Once permission is active, your team clicks the call button, confirms, and the call connects.Before You Start: Prerequisites
1. An eligible Gallabox plan
If your current plan doesn’t include calling, you’ll see the Calling page with an option to upgrade.
2. The right permission inside Gallabox. Only team members with the Can manage WhatsApp, Instagram and Web channel permission can turn calling on and manage its settings. Owners and Admins have this permission by default.
3. Your WhatsApp number must be eligible for calling. This is determined by Meta. When you open the Calling page, Gallabox checks your number and gates you based on it. If your channel doesn’t support calling, you’ll be asked to contact support.
4. A messaging volume threshold. Meta requires your WhatsApp number to reach a daily limit of 2,000 unique recipients before calling can be activated. Until you cross it, the Calling configurations can’t be set up. Once you do, calling becomes available automatically.
5. Credits, depending on how you call
See Pricing for full rates.
Region availability:If any of these prerequisites isn’t met, the Calling page shows a message telling you which one. See Calling Setup Restrictions for what each message means and what you can do about it.
- Fully unavailable: WhatsApp Business Calling is not yet available for numbers in GCC regions like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Oman.
These numbers can neither make nor receive calls for now.- Outgoing restricted: Meta currently restricts outgoing (business-initiated) calls for numbers in the USA, Canada, Egypt, Vietnam, and Nigeria. These numbers can still receive incoming calls, by your team or a Voice AI Agent.
Setting Up Calling
- Go to WhatsApp → Calling in Gallabox.
- Switch on Enable WhatsApp Calling.
- Choose who handles incoming calls: Human Agent or Voice AI Agent.
- Configure the handler you chose:
- Human Agent: set your Call Assignment Rules and write a Busy Message, sent automatically when no one can take the call. See Incoming Calls.
- Voice AI Agent: pick the agent (built in AI Agents & Bots) and set your Post Call Assignment Rules. See Voice AI Agent Calling.
- Save Changes.
Calling Setup Restrictions
When you open the Calling page, Gallabox checks your plan, your permission, and your WhatsApp number against Meta’s rules. If a check doesn’t pass, you’ll see a message explaining why instead of the setup form. The checks run in a fixed order and only the first failing one is shown, so clearing one restriction can reveal another behind it. Each check applies to a single WhatsApp number, not to your whole account. If you have more than one number connected, use the channel selector at the top of the Calling page to switch between them.
If none of these apply, the Calling page opens on the Enable Calling screen and you can follow the steps above.
Raising Your Messaging Limit
The messaging limit is the one prerequisite you can influence. Meta raises it on its own — there’s no request to make in Gallabox — based on how your number is used:- Message more unique customers. Meta looks at how many different customers your number messages in a rolling 24-hour window.
- Keep your quality rating healthy. A Low quality rating holds the limit back and can bring it down. Keep your templates relevant and give customers an easy way to opt out.
- Complete Business Verification with Meta. Unverified numbers stay on the lower limits.
Outgoing calls restricted: Numbers in the USA, Canada, Egypt, Vietnam, and Nigeria can be set up for calling, but Meta restricts outgoing (business-initiated) calls for them. Calling still turns on and incoming calls work as usual — you’ll see a note on the Calling page, and the call button won’t appear in conversations.
Quick Reference
Where to next
- Incoming Calls: calls answered by your team, including routing, assignment rules, agent availability, and busy/missed handling.
- Voice AI Agent Calling: calls answered by AI, including routing, post-call assignment, summaries and recordings, and credits.
- Outgoing Calls: permissions, requesting consent, placing calls, limits, charges.
- Pricing: rates for human and Voice AI calls.