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iOS 13.6 Enables FaceTime in the United Arab Emirates [Update: With Region Change]

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Apple's iOS 13.6 update, released today, appears to enable FaceTime in the United Arab Emirates, a country where the ‌FaceTime‌ app was previously unavailable for use.

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According to MacMagazine and multiple Twitter users, the ‌FaceTime‌ feature is accessible after installing the iOS 13.6 update. Apple did not mention the update in the iOS 13.6 release notes, and support documents haven't been updated as of yet.


Local regulatory rules have blocked ‌FaceTime‌ in the UAE, but rumors over the course of the last few years have suggested that Apple was working with government officials to lift the ban on ‌FaceTime‌.

All phones sold in the United Arab Emirates have ‌FaceTime‌ disabled by default, but installing iOS 13.6 should unlock the feature. There have also been multiple reports that ‌FaceTime‌ is available in the UAE on devices running iOS 14 as well.

‌FaceTime‌ also used to be banned in Saudi Arabia but it became available in the iOS 11.3 update.

Update: MacMagazine, the site that originally reported the changes, now says that for ‌FaceTime‌ to work in the UAE, the iPhone needs to be set to another region. This indicates that ‌FaceTime‌ is not yet officially available in the United Arab Emirates.

Related Forum: iOS 13

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Top Rated Comments

zorinlynx Avatar
zorinlynx
79 months ago

Their laws say that only the government-owned telephone monopoly can provide VoIP communications.

Apps like Zoom, WebEx and VoIP features in Teams, Slack, etc. are banned. There is a temporary exemption for these apps due to COVID.
Sounds like they want to be able to spy on all voice communications. Why else would they ban it?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
K
konqerror
79 months ago

Why was that not allowed?
Their laws say that only the government-owned telephone monopoly can provide VoIP communications.

Apps like Zoom, WebEx and VoIP features in Teams, Slack, etc. are banned. There is a temporary exemption for these apps due to COVID.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ukms Avatar
ukms
77 months ago
Just to update this thread for anyone in this part of the world.

iOS 14 has retained FaceTime on UAE devices. It is still blocked on the telco side intermittently but works perfectly on my own home WiFi setup and outside of the country. Main takeaway is that if you live here you no longer need to buy devices outside the country (or grey imports) if you want FaceTime.

The other UAE related news is that ECG function is now active on UAE devices here as well as other parts of the Middle East.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
MacD
79 months ago
I totally look like those marketing images when I'm face timing. :/
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F
Farrgazer
76 months ago

Seems like it’s fake info. FaceTime still not available in UAE. Not even in AppStore.


FaceTime isn't available in the United Arab Emirates. The carrier, not Apple, provides technical support for iPhone in this country or region. Might include an additional fee or requirement. Contact the carrier for more information.3 days ago

support.apple.com › en-us
The wording is a bit ambiguous, but this is a big deal for iOS expat users here because that means buyers don’t have to order from third parties just for FaceTime.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
K
konqerror
79 months ago

Can you elaborate? And btw I said 'the world' as in the whole entire world.
The US is one of the few remaining developed nations that still has a postal monopoly, and the only nation in the world that has a monopoly on mailboxes.

The laws are written such that any "message directed to a specific person or address and recorded in or on a tangible object" must be sent via the US Postal Service (or the postage paid anway), with limited exceptions.

So if you think about it, this means the US Government has a monopoly on communication via physical means, exactly how the UAE state carrier, Etisalat, holds a monopoly on communication via virtual means.

This line of reasoning, a state monopoly on citizen's communications, is why the post office ran the phones in many countries.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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