Apple's long-banned FaceTime calls are apparently working in the UAE, a territory that has banned Apple's video chat service since its launch.
There was no official announcement on the matter. Neither the UAE’s telecoms regulatory nor Apple have responded yet.
The UAE prolongedly blocked internet calling apps, such as Skype and WhatsApp, probably due to security concerns and to protect the revenues of its monopoly state-run telecommunication companies.
However, it was found that typical blocks that stopped FaceTime voice and video calls were apparently lifted, with good quality video and audio for calls made both within the country and to foreign contacts.
This isn't the first time FaceTime was found to be working for a short period of time. With the update of iOS 13.6, FaceTime was enabled in the country which was later blocked by the authorities.
There have been times in the past when such programs temporarily work in the UAE before becoming disrupted due to changes in internet filtering.
With the use of encryption in VoIP platforms, the authorities may prefer to ban the platforms altogether rather than allow communications to pass through.
