Call Permissions
When you may call a customer on WhatsApp, how to ask for permission, what each status means, and the limits WhatsApp enforces.
You cannot call a WhatsApp user just because you have their number. They have to allow it first, and the permission can expire or be taken away. Every outbound call is checked against this before it leaves our system.
In the app: Dashboard → Automation → Calls → Call history → Call permission column
These are WhatsApp's rules
Every limit on this page is set by WhatsApp, not by us. We enforce them locally so you get a clear refusal instead of an opaque error, but they cannot be raised, bought or waived.
The rules
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Temporary permission | Lasts 7 days |
| Permanent permission | Never expires, but the customer can still withdraw it |
| Permission requests | 1 per 24 hours and 2 per 7 days, per contact |
| Request limits reset | When a call with that contact connects |
| Connected calls | 100 per 24 hours per number and contact pair |
| Automatic withdrawal | 4 consecutive unanswered calls revoke the permission |
The last one is worth reading twice: repeatedly calling someone who does not pick up loses you the right to call them at all. Four unanswered calls in a row and the permission is gone.
How permission is granted
There are two ways.
The customer calls you
When a customer calls your business, WhatsApp grants you permission to call them back. Nothing to ask for and nothing to configure — it is the reason most support callbacks just work.
You ask, and they accept
Find the contact in Call history and click Ask in the Call permission column. They receive a message in WhatsApp asking whether your business may call them. When they accept, the column changes to Can call back.
The default message reads:
Can we call you on WhatsApp about your request?
Permission granted this way is usually temporary — good for 7 days. Customers can also grant permanent permission, which does not expire.
Statuses
| Status | Shown as | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| None | Not granted | Never asked, or they never responded |
| Requested | Not granted | You have asked and are waiting for a reply |
| Granted | Can call back | You may call. Temporary grants show until they lapse |
| Expired | Expired | A temporary grant ran out. You may ask again |
| Revoked | Not granted | They declined, withdrew it, or four calls in a row went unanswered |
An expired or revoked permission is not permanent. You can ask again, subject to the request limits.
Asking for permission
Find the contact
Open Dashboard → Automation → Calls → Call history. Contacts you have exchanged calls with are listed here.
Click Ask
In the Call permission column, click Ask. The button appears whenever the status is anything other than granted.
Wait for the reply
The status moves to waiting, and the column shows Can call back once they accept. There is no notification — check back, or simply try the call.
When Ask is refused
A refusal here is routine, not a bug. The message tells you why — almost always that you have already asked within the last 24 hours, or twice in the last 7 days.
Do not spend requests carelessly
Two requests per 7 days is not many. If a customer has not responded to the first, a second is unlikely to help — reach them by message instead, and let them call you.
Asking a contact who has already granted permission does nothing and does not consume a request, so an accidental click costs you nothing.
Why an outbound call was refused
Every outbound call is checked before it reaches WhatsApp. The likely reasons:
| Reason | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No permission | The contact never granted it, or withdrew it | Click Ask, or wait for them to call you |
| Permission expired | A 7-day temporary grant lapsed | Ask again |
| Daily call cap reached | 100 connected calls to this contact in 24 hours | Wait for the window to roll over |
| Calling not enabled | The WhatsApp number is not switched over to us for calls | Turn calling on from Connections |
Refusals happen before anything leaves our system, so they cost nothing and appear immediately.
Permissions and privacy
Call permission is a promise the customer made to your business, and it is scoped to one WhatsApp number and one contact. It does not transfer between your numbers, and it does not imply consent for marketing messages — those are governed separately by opt-in.
A customer who withdraws call permission keeps messaging you normally. Treat the two as independent.
What's next
Call history
Where permission status lives, alongside every call outcome.
Test a trunk
Get permission first, then place your outbound test call.
Best practices
How is this guide?
Test a Trunk
A pre-flight checklist, then place a real test call in each direction, read the result in call history, and work out what to fix when it fails.
Call History
Every call relayed between WhatsApp and your phone system — the columns, all eight call states, filtering, and a troubleshooting table for calls that did not connect.