"FaceTime calls finally seem to be working in the UAE" 10 October 2021

FaceTime hasn't been available in the United Arab Emirates since Apple launched the technology in 2010, but that policy might have eased — at least for a brief while. The AP reports FaceTime calls were suddenly working in the UAE as of October 10th, letting those with the app...make high-quality video and voice calls. The feature worked when speaking to people both inside and outside of the country.

It's not certain if this is a permanent or intentional change. Dubai kicked off Expo 2020...on October 1st, and will keep it running until the end of March 2022 — a gesture like this could encourage visitors who want to keep in touch and show what they've seen. The UAE's Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority has so far been silent about the apparent change, however, and restrictions appear to largely be intact for rival services like Skype and WhatsApp outside of the fairgrounds.

Officials have never formally explained the ban..Others, meanwhile, have suspected security concerns. The UAE is believed to have hacked dissidents' iPhones to spy on their activities, and live video chats might make that surveillance difficult...