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Censorship Monitor · Saudi Arabia Last test

Does WhatsApp work in Saudi Arabia?

Partly. WhatsApp messages and media work in Saudi Arabia, but its voice and video calls are still officially restricted, though they have worked for some users at times.

Today’s test · www.whatsapp.com

Opens

www.whatsapp.com opens normally on the connections we test in Saudi Arabia.

Last confirmed
Tested on
Machines on several networks in Saudi Arabia, mostly in data centers
Test WhatsApp yourself › Everything we test in Saudi Arabia

The official status

WhatsApp in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s telecoms regulator blocked many internet calling apps from 2013. When it lifted that ban on 21 September 2017 for apps that meet its requirements, WhatsApp calls were left out.

The restriction hasn’t been formally lifted. In March 2024 a source at the regulator, now the Communications, Space and Technology Commission, told the Saudi daily Okaz that reports of the ban ending were untrue. Calls suddenly worked for many users in February 2025, with no announcement or confirmation that the change was permanent.

What our daily test shows

Our test checks whether the WhatsApp website opens, and it does. It can’t see whether calls connect: the restriction is on WhatsApp’s calls, not its website.

What people use instead

Other calling apps that meet the regulator’s rules. In 2017 it named FaceTime, Snapchat, Line and Telegram among them.

Get past a block

A VPN in Saudi Arabia

A VPN encrypts your connection, which is worth having on hotel, café and airport Wi-Fi, and keeps what you do online private from the network you’re on. Calls are a regulatory matter in Saudi Arabia, so check the rules before relying on any app for them.

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Around the world

Where else is WhatsApp blocked?

WhatsApp is blocked in 3 other countries we test.

It opens in 20 of the 23 other countries with a current result.

WhatsApp in every country we test ›

Saudi Arabia

What else is blocked in Saudi Arabia?

5 of the other 66 sites and apps we test are blocked in Saudi Arabia.

All 67 results for Saudi Arabia ›

History

Changes for WhatsApp in Saudi Arabia

No confirmed changes since monitoring began on 29 Sep 2026. When a block appears or lifts, and a re-check on several machines agrees, it shows up here.

Method

How we test

  • Every day, test machines inside Saudi Arabia, most of them in data centers, open www.whatsapp.com.
  • A failure counts only when it happens twice on the same network, while the site opens from other countries.
  • A change is published only after re-checks a few hours later and again the next day, on several machines per provider, confirm it. It’s dated from the first sighting.
  • Test machines caught getting around blocks, through a VPN or a filter-dodging tool, are set aside.
  • We test the website, mostly from data centers. The app, calls and mobile networks can behave differently.

Full method ›

Questions

WhatsApp in Saudi Arabia: questions

Is WhatsApp Banned in Saudi Arabia?

No. WhatsApp isn’t banned in Saudi Arabia and its messages work normally, but its voice and video calls are officially restricted.

Do WhatsApp Calls Work in Saudi Arabia?

Officially, no. WhatsApp voice and video calls are restricted on Saudi networks, and the regulator hasn’t announced lifting the block. Calls have worked for some users at times without notice, such as in February 2025.

Why Are WhatsApp Calls Blocked in Saudi Arabia?

The regulator treats it as a regulatory matter. Its 2017 opening covered only calling apps that meet its requirements, and WhatsApp was left out; it hasn’t said publicly which requirement WhatsApp fails.

Free to use

Cite this result

Quote or republish today’s result with a link to this page: the monitor’s data is under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY 4.0).

Source: vpnAlert Censorship Monitor, https://vpnalert.com/tools/censorship-monitor/saudi-arabia/whatsapp/

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