Voice API Webhooks Reference

Nexmo uses webhooks alongside its Voice API to enable your application to interact with the call. There are two webhook endpoints:

• Answer webhook is sent when a call is answered. This is for both incoming and outgoing calls.
• Event webhook is sent for all the events that occur during a call. Your application can log, react to or ignore each event type.
• Errors are also delivered to the event webhook endpoint if they occur.

For more general information, check out our webhooks guide.

Answer Webhook

When an incoming call is answered, an HTTP request is sent to the answer_url you specified when setting up the application. For outgoing calls, specify the answer_url when you make the call.

By default, the answer webhook will be a GET request but this can be overridden to POST by setting the answer_method field. For incoming calls, you configure these values when you create the application. For outgoing calls, you specify these values when making a call.

Answer webhook data fields

Answer webhook data field examples

For a GET request, the variables will be in the URL, like this:

/answer.php?to=442079460000&from=447700900000&conversation_uuid=CON-aaaaaaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd-0123456789ab&uuid=aaaaaaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd-0123456789ab

If you set the answer_method to POST then you will receive the request with JSON-format data in the body:

{
  "from": "442079460000",
  "to": "447700900000",
  "uuid": "aaaaaaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd-0123456789ab",
  "conversation_uuid": "CON-aaaaaaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd-0123456789ab"
}

Responding to the answer webhook

Nexmo expect you to return an NCCO in JSON format containing the actions to perform.

Event webhook

HTTP requests will arrive at the event webhook endpoint when there is any status change for a call. The URL will be the event_url you specified when creating your application unless you override it by setting a specific event_url when starting a call.

By default the incoming requests are POST requests with a JSON body. You can override the method to GET by configuring the event_method in addition to the event_url.

The format of the data included depends on which event has occurred:

• started
• ringing
• answered
• busy
• cancelled
• unanswered
• rejected
• failed
• human/machine
• timeout
• completed
• record
• input

Started

Indicates that the call has been created.

Back to event webhooks list

Ringing

The destination is reachable and ringing.

Back to event webhooks list

Answered

The call was answered.

Back to event webhooks list

Busy

The destination is on the line with another caller.

Back to event webhooks list

Cancelled

An outgoing call is cancelled by the originator before being answered.

Back to event webhooks list

Unanswered

Either the recipient is unreachable or the recipient declined the call.

Back to event webhooks list

Rejected

The call was rejected by Nexmo before it was connected.

Back to event webhooks list

Failed

The outgoing call could not be connected.

Back to event webhooks list

Human / Machine

For an outbound call made programmatically, if the machine_detection option is set then an event with a status of human or machine will be sent depending whether a person answered the call or not.

Back to event webhooks list

Timeout

If the duration of the ringing phase exceeds the specified ringing_timeout duration, this event will be sent.

Back to event webhooks list

Completed

The call is over, this event also includes summary data about the call.

Back to event webhooks list

Record

This webhook arrives when an NCCO with a "record" action has finished. When creating a record action, you can set a different eventURL for this event to be sent to. This can be useful if you want to use separate code to handle this event type.

Back to event webhooks list

Input

This webhook is sent by Nexmo when an NCCO with an action of "input" has finished.

Back to event webhooks list

Errors

The event endpoint will also receive webhooks in the event of an error. This can be useful when debugging your application.

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