[Evochamp]

Hi, I would like to know if I want to buy an iPhone 8 or X from UAE, will FaceTime work if the first setup is in Egypt, where we have FaceTime active?

[darius_robin]

Depends, if you buy it from uae.souq.com (I recommend you do so), then you have the choice of the iPhone with or without FaceTime. Most other retailers (including Apple.com/ae and Apple Stores) only offer the phones without FaceTime, no matter where you activate it.

[Evochamp]

Depends, if you buy it from uae.souq.com (I recommend you do so), then you have the choice of the iPhone with or without FaceTime. Most other retailers (including Apple.com/ae and Apple Stores) only offer the phones without FaceTime, no matter where you activate it.

Bought one from Apple UAE (didn’t receive yet), as Apple support told me, if I use with an unrestricted FaceTime SIM, FaceTime will work.

[darius_robin]

Bought one from Apple UAE (didn’t receive yet), as Apple support told me, if I use with an unrestricted FaceTime SIM, FaceTime will work.

Well, I never knew that. The two major carriers in the UAE, Du and Etisalat, have blocked VoIP services, including FaceTime and WhatsApp calling. I don’t know how changing the SIM is going to work.

[Evochamp]

True, it is the carrier that blocks FaceTime, my older iPhone 6 Plus was from Jarir in Saoudy Arabia and FaceTime worked fine when I used my Egyptian Vodafone SIM (never used it in SA really).

[darius_robin]

True, it is the carrier that blocks FaceTime, my older iPhone 6 Plus was from Jarir in Saoudy Arabia and FaceTime worked fine when I used my Egyptian Vodafone SIM (never used it in SA really).

But, some models have been specifically made for countries like UAE. My iPad 3 didn’t have the app itself. My iPhone 7 has the FaceTime app, with a Du SIM or without.

Take this for example.
This one doesn’t have FaceTime: https://uae.souq.com/ae-en/apple-iph...er-24051449/i/
This one has FaceTime: https://uae.souq.com/ae-en/apple-iph...er-24051435/i/

Somehow, the one with FaceTime is slightly cheaper.

[Evochamp]

But, some models have been specifically made for countries like UAE. My iPad 3 didn’t have the app itself. My iPhone 7 has the FaceTime app, with a Du SIM or without.

Take this for example.
This one doesn’t have FaceTime: https://uae.souq.com/ae-en/apple-iph...er-24051449/i/
This one has FaceTime: https://uae.souq.com/ae-en/apple-iph...er-24051435/i/

Somehow, the one with FaceTime is slightly cheaper.

Well, I’ll update you when I receive the phone hopefully next week.

[ahmedsaad89]

Any updates, please?

[Evochamp]

Any updates, please?

Hello, very sorry for being late to update. Yes off course FaceTime works on my iPhone X which I purchased from the UAE APPLE Store, using Vodafone Egypt’s SIM card.