Just checked - FaceTime Audio is still disabled on Chinese iPhone models, no matter the region
Which is so stupid and money-driven. It works fine on my Chinese iPad mini and iPad Pros... Damn China Mobile.
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iOS 13.6 Enables FaceTime in the United Arab Emirates [Update: With Region Change]
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Which is so stupid and money-driven. It works fine on my Chinese iPad mini and iPad Pros... Damn China Mobile.
The app has appeared on our UAE phones but it seems it’s use still blocked .... nothing will connect.
Just like Apple Pay in Mexico. The options to add cards in Wallet and settings now appear on iPhones set to the Mexico region, but people still can't add cards issued by any of the banks and/or other card issuers operating in Mexico.
Hmm, I always thought it was due to surveillance considerations - after all people call each other on WeChat all the time. But good knowing that iPads are exempt!
Not supported, even w region change. The app has appeared and now visible in settings, but won’t connect.
Oh finally! I’ll try to give a simplified technical explanation of how FaceTime used to be blocked.
Back when the iPhone 4 came out, FaceTime was available on all phones, but was later disabled in a software update for all the countries in the Middle East. At least, that was the case if you had a phone with an “AE” model number. Those phones were sold in the UAE, and I think they were also officially sold in other neighboring countries as well, but I’m not 100% sure. I do know, however, that Apple does also have “AH” model phones that are sold in countries that do not have a FaceTime restriction, but I’m not sure when those phones were introduced.Anyway, after customer backlash in countries where there was no law blocking FaceTime from being used, Apple implemented a method to enable it for users from those countries.
It was a stupid method and I’m not sure why Apple chose to implement it in this way, but basically the way it worked was that on the phones that had FaceTime removed, it would check the carrier bundle of any SIM card you insert into the phone. If it said that FaceTime was allowed, FaceTime would immediately show up on your phone, and if it didn’t have that boolean enabled (or if that boolean didn’t even exist to begin with) then FaceTime would disappear completely. There would be no traces of it left in the system. This would have solved the issue, except that other than a few countries in the region that had FaceTime explicitly allowed in the bundle, every other country did not have it. That meant if you bought your phone and were using it in a country that allowed FaceTime (like Kuwait) you would have had FaceTime, but then if you went away on holiday to another country (say the UK) and got a SIM card there, FaceTime would completely disappear. That’s because those other countries don’t have the FaceTime restrictions, and therefore the carrier bundles would not have anything inside it designed to let the phone know that FaceTime is allowed.
No amount of changing regions or anything could solve it, and the bigger issue is that many authorized Apple resellers in countries that allow FaceTime would sell grey market models from Dubai and pass them off as local models to unsuspecting customers. They would even lie when asked about FaceTime and will immediately tell you that it would work world wide too, so I'm glad that's now no longer an issue.
Back when the iPhone 4 came out, FaceTime was available on all phones, but was later disabled in a software update for all the countries in the Middle East. At least, that was the case if you had a phone with an “AE” model number. Those phones were sold in the UAE, and I think they were also officially sold in other neighboring countries as well, but I’m not 100% sure. I do know, however, that Apple does also have “AH” model phones that are sold in countries that do not have a FaceTime restriction, but I’m not sure when those phones were introduced.Anyway, after customer backlash in countries where there was no law blocking FaceTime from being used, Apple implemented a method to enable it for users from those countries.
It was a stupid method and I’m not sure why Apple chose to implement it in this way, but basically the way it worked was that on the phones that had FaceTime removed, it would check the carrier bundle of any SIM card you insert into the phone. If it said that FaceTime was allowed, FaceTime would immediately show up on your phone, and if it didn’t have that boolean enabled (or if that boolean didn’t even exist to begin with) then FaceTime would disappear completely. There would be no traces of it left in the system. This would have solved the issue, except that other than a few countries in the region that had FaceTime explicitly allowed in the bundle, every other country did not have it. That meant if you bought your phone and were using it in a country that allowed FaceTime (like Kuwait) you would have had FaceTime, but then if you went away on holiday to another country (say the UK) and got a SIM card there, FaceTime would completely disappear. That’s because those other countries don’t have the FaceTime restrictions, and therefore the carrier bundles would not have anything inside it designed to let the phone know that FaceTime is allowed.
No amount of changing regions or anything could solve it, and the bigger issue is that many authorized Apple resellers in countries that allow FaceTime would sell grey market models from Dubai and pass them off as local models to unsuspecting customers. They would even lie when asked about FaceTime and will immediately tell you that it would work world wide too, so I'm glad that's now no longer an issue.
Money. There is a large expat community that calls abroad. Allowing VOiP from other providers would cut into that income.
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Except the US does not enforce the law in a manner that restricts anyone from doing exactly what the postal service does; as evidenced by FedEx, UPS, Amazon, the airlines, bike messengers, etc. all operating freely. Just don't leave the package in a mailbox. I would guess if they tried to enforce the law it would be struck down.
The mailbox laws have advantages such as preventing everyone from sticking advertising flyers in or on a mailbox; even they they only do something if someone makes a formal complaint; and theft of mail from a mailbox, or anywhere else, is a federal crime that postal inspectors pursue, resulting a a lot of arrests and felony convictions. Even what some would consider a prank, such as smashing a mailbox, could result in a federal felony conviction.
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One thing I noticed that I'm pretty confident wasn't there before 13.6 (at least in Poland): in 'settings -> general -> about' there's now warranty section that shows if you're covered or not.
They also have a very large immigrant workforce (most of the population) that needs to keep in touch with their loved ones and they want to squeeze every bit of cash they can out of them... and yeah keep tabs on everyone... and ensure unmarried men and women aren't having "inappropriate calls"...
Disclaimer: I have several relatives and friends in the UAE.
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Its all about profits... Which dent the countries own telecom, etisalat... Even the competition is owned by the government.. When I used to live there, it was some hoop-jumping to make voip work... Now the whole idea of voip being blocked is beyond silly...
Keep enjoying the mirage in the desert, I'll never be back....
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I'm not sure what part of the UAE your friends and relatives live in but the reality is that very little cash is squeezed out of expats here for calling home most find ways to call home without paying anything extra and if you think calling is blocked or restricted to detect unmarried men and women having calls then with respect you are very naive
Disclaimer: I am an expat living and working in the UAE
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If "its all about profits" (a very sweeping statement) Can you enlighten us as to how much extra profit Etisalat and Du make by blocking certain VoIP ? ..... FWIW I dont believe its about profit.
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I'm not sure what part of the UAE your friends and relatives live in but the reality is that very little cash is squeezed out of expats here for calling home most find ways to call home without paying anything extra and if you think calling is blocked or restricted to detect unmarried men and women having calls then with respect you are very naive
Disclaimer: I am an expat living and working in the UAE
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If "its all about profits" (a very sweeping statement) Can you enlighten us as to how much extra profit Etisalat and Du make by blocking certain VoIP ? ..... FWIW I dont believe its about profit.
well if it’s not profit, then security? I think profit is a part of it given they allow their own voip apps for an additional fee, or alternatively use your network minutes to call internationally...which you do pay for...Saudi did away with blocking FaceTime so it’s time the UAE did the same I hope...maybe this change on Apple’s part is a sign the govt will open it up soon. I don’t see Apple adding this without some discussion and assurance it will work...Apple rarely likes to have non functioning features available to spoil user experience. Let’s keep hoping.
Same here: now I can see the app on my phone but I’m unable to make calls.
By the way, a small step towards a different mindset where monopoly on voip is not there anymore.
The Facetime App is available, but the service isn't activated. UAE has a Telco duopoly with Etisalat & Du having complete control over the market, meaning data prices are high with customer service is average to low.
I've been waiting for Facetime to launch here for 5 years. For now, Zoom is allowed here because of COVID-19, and I'll be surprised if they cancel it now that people here have had a taste of VOIP and are now aware of what they've been missing.
I've been waiting for Facetime to launch here for 5 years. For now, Zoom is allowed here because of COVID-19, and I'll be surprised if they cancel it now that people here have had a taste of VOIP and are now aware of what they've been missing.
They charge for their VoIP and video calling services. Nobody would use their Video and VoIP services if there were a free alternative such as facetime or skype. That’s why they block them. I don’t know how much the profit may be, but whatever it is they just don’t want to sacrifice it.I'm not sure what part of the UAE your friends and relatives live in but the reality is that very little cash is squeezed out of expats here for calling home most find ways to call home without paying anything extra and if you think calling is blocked or restricted to detect unmarried men and women having calls then with respect you are very naive
Disclaimer: I am an expat living and working in the UAE
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If "its all about profits" (a very sweeping statement) Can you enlighten us as to how much extra profit Etisalat and Du make by blocking certain VoIP ? ..... FWIW I dont believe its about profit.
Not working for me in UAE though. So not sure how legitimate the new is, especially since there's no mentioning of any of this in the update's change log.
At the moment in the UAE the only voip app I was able to successfully use at no charge is ToTok.
Because you don't see the draw, doesn't mean the rest of the masses find it useless.
There's audio only FaceTime too. Some people want to see others that they are talking to. Video chat is hardly a new or unusual concept. That isn't to say that everyone uses it or needs to use it or anything like that -- just like regular calls and messages, some people prefer one over the other for whatever reason that makes sense to them.
They have chargeable VoIP services yes ..... but very few people use them, plenty of alternatives depending on your home nationality and preference of app.
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I suppose it really depends where in the US you are talking about and what you define as backwards
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I tried Skype this morning from Muscat and was surprised to find it working. Looks like this was a recent change as part of the loosening of voip restrictions with most people working from home. Unfortunately Facetime calls continue to be blocked sans VPN.