Google is removing the option to create a new call-only ad from February 2026, and every existing call-only ad stops serving entirely by February 2027. The direct replacement is a responsive search ad with a call asset attached — free, built into Google Ads, and the only thing required to keep call-based leads coming through search. For Indian advertisers specifically, Google Ads has also quietly added a WhatsApp message asset, still in beta, that can send a click straight into a WhatsApp chat instead of a phone call. Neither replacement needs a paid third-party WhatsApp tool.
Google Call-Only Ads Stop Being Creatable In February 2026 And Stop Serving Entirely By February 2027
Google announced the change in October 2025: the call-only ad format — the one that shows only a phone number, a headline about calling, and a tap-to-call button, with no landing page involved — is being retired in two stages, not switched off overnight.
The first deadline is the one that matters for anyone still relying on this format. From February 2026, the option to create a new call-only ad disappears from Google Ads entirely. Any call-only ad already live at that point keeps running for roughly another year on the account's existing setup. The second deadline, February 2027, is when every remaining call-only ad — touched or not — stops receiving impressions for good.
The Standalone Call-Only Format, Not Calling Itself
Google is clear that this targets one specific legacy ad format — the standalone call-only ad — not the ability to generate phone calls from search ads in general. A call asset (sometimes still called a call extension) is a separate, smaller piece: a tap-to-call button attached to an ordinary responsive search ad, which keeps its own headlines, descriptions, and landing page alongside the phone number. That piece isn't going away. Google's own guidance tells advertisers to replace a call-only ad with a responsive search ad carrying a call asset — not to stop running call-based ads altogether.
A Call Asset Inside A Responsive Search Ad Does The Same Job, Attached To A Different Ad Format
For a business that only ever wanted the phone to ring from a search ad, the practical change is smaller than the deadline makes it sound. The call asset does the same job a call-only ad did — it still shows a tap-to-call button in the ad on a mobile search result. What's different is that it now rides along on a responsive search ad instead of standing alone.
| Ad Format | What A Click Or Tap Actually Does | Status After The Deadlines |
|---|---|---|
| Call-Only Ad (legacy) | Shows only a phone number and headline; tapping the ad dials the number directly, no landing page involved | Can't be created from Feb 2026; stops serving entirely by Feb 2027 |
| Responsive Search Ad + Call Asset | Shows normal search ad text with a tap-to-call button alongside it; the click can dial the number or open the landing page | The required replacement — works indefinitely, no deprecation announced |
| Responsive Search Ad + WhatsApp Message Asset (beta, India) | Shows a message button alongside the ad text; tapping it opens a WhatsApp chat with the business instead of dialling | Optional add-on, beta, limited to eligible accounts and a handful of markets including India |
The deadline isn't asking a business to stop running call ads — it's asking them to stop running one specific, now-outdated version of one.
India Is Already One Of The Markets Where A Google Ad Can Open A WhatsApp Chat Directly
Alongside the call asset migration, Google Ads has a separate, newer feature worth checking for while an account is already being touched: the message asset. It attaches a message button to a search or Performance Max ad, and a tap opens a chat through WhatsApp, SMS, or one of a short list of other supported messaging platforms, depending on what the advertiser connects.
Google logs a tap that leads to an opened chat as a "conversation started" conversion — a way to measure how many ad clicks actually turned into a conversation, the same way a call asset's conversion is a connected call.
Someone searches for the business's service and taps the ad on their phone
The tap dials the number directly. If the business can't pick up — busy, after hours, driving — the enquiry is simply a missed call, with no record of what the person was asking about.
The tap opens a WhatsApp chat already pointed at the business's own WhatsApp Business number. The enquiry sits there, visible, until someone replies — nothing is lost just because the phone wasn't answered at that exact second.
This is still a beta feature, not a settled, universally-available one. Google requires a completed advertiser verification and a clean policy history before the option even appears, the account's ad vertical has to be eligible (a few sensitive categories are excluded), and the campaign has to be running on a conversions-based bid strategy — Maximum Conversions or Target CPA, or the value-based equivalents — rather than a simple manual or clicks-based one. A small business running a basic keyword campaign on manual bidding won't see the option until that's in place, and a business in an excluded account vertical may not see it at all yet. Worth checking for, not worth assuming is already there.
Switching Before February 2026 Is One Audit Per Ad Group, Not A Rebuilt Campaign
For most accounts the required part of this — moving off call-only ads — is a checklist, not a redesign.
List every ad group still running a call-only ad
Google Ads' own ad-type filter makes this a two-minute check per campaign, not a guess.
Confirm each of those ad groups already has a responsive search ad
Google's stated requirement is one RSA per ad group before the cutoff — if one already exists, most of the work is done.
Attach a call asset at the account or campaign level if one isn't already there
A call asset added once at account level can apply across every eligible campaign, not just one ad group at a time.
Write a few extra headlines and descriptions for the RSA
A responsive search ad performs better the more combinations Google has to test — three to five headlines beats the single line a call-only ad used to carry.
Check Google Ads for a message asset option, without assuming it's available yet
If the account meets the verification, vertical, and bid-strategy requirements, this is a free addition worth turning on alongside the call asset — if not, it's a line item to revisit later, not something to chase now.
Run the ad-group audit once, add the call asset wherever it's missing, and leave the WhatsApp message asset as a "check again later" item if the account isn't eligible yet. None of this requires pausing the account or rebuilding a campaign from scratch.
Both Replacements Live Inside Google Ads Itself — Neither One Needs A Paid WhatsApp Tool
It's worth being specific about what this isn't. A search for how to connect WhatsApp to Google Ads turns up plenty of third-party messaging platforms selling their own integration layer on top of this feature. None of that is required for the part that matters here: the call asset is a native, free Google Ads feature, and the message asset — while still in beta and gated by eligibility — is also a native feature inside Google Ads itself, not a paid add-on sold by a vendor.
A business that already runs its website and enquiries through its own WhatsApp number loses nothing by using Google's own message asset instead of a third-party platform's version of the same idea — the enquiry still lands in the same WhatsApp Business account either way.
Owning The Channel Beats Renting A Layer On Top Of It
Hashika Vyas DT (clinical dietitian, Mumbai) grew to 39 new clients in 90 days with Instagram following growing from 75 to 1,145, built on channels the business ran itself rather than a paid middle layer sitting on top of them. Hamara Ashiyana's #1 Google ranking, built from zero, follows the same pattern — a result built on the platform's own free tools, not a vendor's add-on. Neither case study used a Google Ads message asset specifically; the point carried over here is the same one: when a platform offers a free, native version of something a vendor is also trying to sell, the free version is worth checking first.
Questions small businesses ask about Google ending call-only ads
Is Google ending call extensions too, or just call-only ads?
Just call-only ads — the standalone ad format that is only a phone number and a click-to-call button, with no headline or description of its own. Call extensions and call assets, the tap-to-call element attached to a normal text or responsive search ad, are not part of this deprecation. Google's own guidance is specifically about replacing the standalone call-only format with a responsive search ad that carries a call asset, not about removing calling from Google Ads altogether.
What happens to a call-only ad that is already running if nothing is done before February 2026?
It keeps serving for a while longer, but the clock is already running. From February 2026, Google removes the option to create any new call-only ad — existing ones are grandfathered in and keep showing for roughly a year after that. By February 2027, every remaining call-only ad stops receiving impressions entirely, whether it was touched or not. Waiting until the account's own ads simply disappear risks losing live call volume for weeks before anyone notices why.
Does every Google Ads account need to switch to a WhatsApp message asset, or is a call asset enough?
A call asset on a responsive search ad is the direct, required replacement for a call-only ad — every account currently running one needs at least this much before February 2026. The WhatsApp message asset is a separate, optional addition on top, currently in beta and limited to specific markets and ad account verticals. It is worth checking for, not a requirement to replace the call asset.
Is the WhatsApp message asset the same thing as Meta's Click-to-WhatsApp ads?
No — they run on different platforms and are set up in different places. Meta's Click-to-WhatsApp ads run inside Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns. Google's message asset is a feature inside Google Ads itself, attached to Search and Performance Max campaigns, and opens a chat through WhatsApp, SMS, or a couple of other supported messaging platforms depending on what the advertiser sets up. A business could use either, both, or neither — they are not the same feature wearing two names.
Does moving to a responsive search ad with a call asset cost more to run than a call-only ad did?
Not inherently — a responsive search ad with a call asset still bids and is charged the same way any Google Ads text ad is, and the call asset itself is free to add. What usually changes is the work involved: a responsive search ad needs several headlines and descriptions written for Google to test, where a call-only ad needed only a phone number and one line of text. The cost that actually goes up, if it does, is the time spent writing that extra ad copy — not a new fee from Google.
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