Once calling is enabled, the whole flow happens from the Chat screen. This page covers the two things you'll do most: starting a call out to a customer, and answering one that comes in.
The Call button
Open a conversation on a WhatsApp Official number and you'll see a Call button in the chat header.
Its look tells you the state at a glance:
| State | What it means |
|---|---|
| Green | You're available to call. |
| Red | You're online but your status isn't set to Available — live calls are locked. |
| Gray (disabled) | Calling is turned off for this channel. Enable it in the channel's Call settings. |
Click the arrow next to it to open the call menu, which always has two choices.
Option 1 — Initiate Call Request
Use this to ask the customer first. It opens the Initiate Call Request window, with a live preview of what the customer will see.
Pick how the call starts
- Business Initiated — ask the customer for permission. Once they allow it, you can call them directly whenever you need to.
- Customer Initiated — send a message with a Voice call button; the customer taps it to call you.
Pick the message type
- Custom — write your own message. Only available inside the 24-hour window after the customer's last message.
- Template — an approved WhatsApp template. Always available, and required once the 24-hour window has closed.
If it's been more than 24 hours since the customer last messaged, Custom is locked and you must choose a Template. Templates that need a media header aren't supported for call requests yet — pick a text-only template.
When the message looks right in the preview, click Send.
Option 2 — Start Voice Call
This rings the customer right now over a live voice connection — no message first.
Start Voice Call only unlocks when your availability status is set to Available, and it relies on the customer having granted call permission. If it's locked, set yourself to Available and try again.
During a call
Answering an incoming call
When a customer calls, a toast slides in from the top with their name and number. Choose Decline or Accept. (Accepting asks for microphone access the first time — see ringtone & mic setup.)
The live call screen
Once connected, the call screen shows the contact, a running timer, and a Recording indicator.
- Mute — silence your microphone (tap again to unmute).
- End Call — hang up.
A few status messages you might see:
- Reconnecting… — your connection dropped for a moment. The call stays alive while Chatmo tries to recover it; it only ends if the connection doesn't come back.
- Saving recording… — the call has ended and the recording is being saved. This is quick; the screen closes on its own when it's done.
Don't refresh or close the tab while you see Saving recording…. Give it a couple of seconds to finish so the recording and transcript are saved properly.
What's next
- Inside a Call Record — replay the call, read the transcript, get the AI summary.
- Reviewing Your Call History — every call in one place.