Censorship Monitor · UAE Last test 17 Oct 2026, 01:17 UTC

Does WhatsApp work in the UAE?

Partly. WhatsApp messages, voice notes, photos and files work in the UAE, but WhatsApp voice and video calls are blocked across the country, Dubai included.

Today’s test · www.whatsapp.com

Opens

www.whatsapp.com opens normally on Etisalat.

Last confirmed: 16 Oct 2026, 08:17 UTC
Tested on: Etisalat

Blocked
Blocked on some networks
Turned away by the site
Opens
Not monitored

Test WhatsApp yourself › Everything we test in the UAE

The official status

WhatsApp in the UAE

Internet calls in the UAE are allowed only from licensed operators and approved apps, under a policy the telecoms regulator, now called TDRA, issued in 2009. WhatsApp calling isn’t approved, so its voice calls have been blocked since they launched in 2015, and its video calls since 2016.

There have been talks about lifting the ban, in 2020 among other times, but the rules haven’t changed. When WhatsApp added calling to its web version in February 2026, UAE media reported that calls stay restricted and that any change needs TDRA approval, and in May 2026 that calling was still restricted.

The rules are national, so Dubai is the same as the rest of the UAE.

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

Licensed calling apps. Gulf News lists BOTIM, GoChat Messenger, Voico and Comera for personal calls, and Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Webex and Slack for meetings.

Get past a block

A VPN in the UAE

A VPN encrypts your connection, which is worth having on hotel, café and airport Wi-Fi. It isn’t a way around the calling rules: the UAE’s regulator says using an unlicensed calling service may be an offence, so use a licensed app such as BOTIM for calls.

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We earn a commission if you buy through these links. It never changes what the monitor shows. Our disclosure.

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.

UAE

What else is blocked in the UAE?

9 of the other 66 sites and apps we test are blocked in the UAE.

Change.org
ExpressVPN
Grindr
Mullvad
NordVPN
Proton VPN
Psiphon
Surfshark
Tor Project

History

Changes for WhatsApp in the UAE

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 on Etisalat home connections 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 over home broadband. The app, calls and mobile networks can behave differently.

Questions

WhatsApp in the UAE: questions

Is WhatsApp Banned in the UAE?

No. WhatsApp isn’t banned in the UAE and its messages work normally, but its voice and video calls are blocked under the UAE’s internet calling rules, Dubai included.

Can Tourists Make WhatsApp Calls in Dubai?

Not on UAE mobile or Wi-Fi networks. The calling block covers the whole UAE, Dubai included. WhatsApp messages work, and licensed apps such as BOTIM can be used for calls.

Is It Illegal to Make WhatsApp Calls in the UAE?

TDRA says that using a calling service not provided by a licensed operator or approved by TDRA may be a criminal offence, and that operators will most probably block the traffic.

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/uae/whatsapp/

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