WhatsApp Video and Voice Calls Are Now Working in the UAE

Many residents in the UAE today are delighted at the discovery that WhatsApp video and voice calls are now working, both in the country and abroad. 

For some time the functions were blocked in the UAE, but today saw both the video and voice call services quietly go live, much to the pleasant surprise of smartphone users living here. 

We've tried it ourselves of course - and we're pleased to say it worked for a local number, and to call someone in the UK. 

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Of course, the quality of the connection depends on your data usage or if you're connected to Wifi. And it appears as though it is working through both du and Etisalat networks. 

Users of the application in the country were delighted over the discovery...

An official statement is yet to be made from the UAE's telecom authority regarding the activation of the VoIP-based free voie and video-calling feature on WhatsApp, a messenging application on smartphones. 

It is also believed that there won't be any charges, so long as you're connected to an Internet connection, Gulf News reported. 

Why was WhatsApp video and voice calls blocked?

In November 2016, WhatsApp introduced the video-calling service, but smartphone users in the UAE could not access it due to regulatory compliance.