Voicemail and Call Recording
What is it?
Voicemail: when nobody on your team can take a call, the caller hears your greeting and can leave a voice message. The message arrives in their chat in Waplify, so nothing gets lost.
Call recording: answered calls are recorded by WhatsApp, and you can play them back from the customer's chat and from the Calls page.
| Feature | Plans |
|---|---|
| Voicemail | Business, Lifetime Platinum and Diamond, and older plans |
| Call recording | Growth, Business, Lifetime Platinum and Diamond, and older plans |
On other plans you see the option with a lock and an Upgrade button. Both options appear only after you switch WhatsApp calling on for the number (see Take WhatsApp calls).
How to use it
Set up voicemail
- Go to Settings > WhatsApp and find your number.
- Under Voicemail, add a greeting under 60 seconds:
- Record it right there with your computer's microphone (it stops by itself at 59 seconds), then Save; or
- Upload an audio file (MP3, M4A, WAV or OGG, under 60 seconds and under 10 MB).
- Switch Voicemail on. If you switch it on before adding a greeting, Waplify asks you for one first.
To change your greeting later, click Change and choose Record a new one, Upload a file or Remove greeting. Removing the greeting turns voicemail off.
When a caller reaches voicemail: when nobody is available, when everyone who rang declined, or when nobody answers within about 25 seconds.
Where voicemails arrive: in the customer's chat, as a voice message marked Voicemail. The call itself shows "Voicemail left", and the Calls page has a Voicemail filter. Your chatbot never replies to a voicemail.
Record calls
- Go to Settings > WhatsApp and find your number.
- Switch Record calls on.
- Choose the Notice language: English or Hindi.
From then on:
- Before every recorded call, WhatsApp tells both people that the call is recorded, in the language you chose. This takes about 5 seconds and is required by WhatsApp.
- Only answered calls are recorded, both calls customers make to you and calls you make to them.
- About a minute after the call ends, a Play recording button appears under the call in the chat and on the Calls page. If you see "The recording is on its way. Try again in a minute.", wait a moment and click Try again.
Who can listen: team members who can open and reply in that customer's chat.
How long recordings are kept: there is no time limit.
Tips & best practices
- Keep your greeting short and useful: your business name, that you'll call back, and when. For example: "Thanks for calling Asha Traders. We're busy right now. Leave your name and what you need, and we'll call you back today."
- Turn voicemail on even if you answer most calls. A call that reaches voicemail counts as picked up, which protects your number from WhatsApp's calling pause.
- Check that recording calls is allowed where you and your customers are, and mention it in your privacy policy. WhatsApp's spoken notice tells callers, but local rules may ask for more.
- Use recordings for training and to settle "what did we promise?" questions.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't I see Record calls in settings? It appears only on plans that include recording, after you switch WhatsApp calling on for the number.
Can I record only some calls? Not yet. With Record calls on, every answered call on that number is recorded.
Can I turn off the "this call is recorded" notice? No. WhatsApp plays it on every recorded call.
Does a voicemail count as a missed call? Yes. You get the missed-call alert as soon as the call stops ringing, and the voicemail arrives right below it in the chat as a voice message. On the Calls page it's listed as Voicemail, so you can find and return it easily.
Is call recording free? Yes. Recording comes with the plans listed above, and WhatsApp doesn't charge for it today. WhatsApp says it may charge for recording in future, with notice.