Communications and Information Technology Commission: WhatsApp, the company that owns the application, does not offer the calling feature in the Kingdom

With reference to reports circulating in some media outlets regarding the disabling of the voice calling feature on the WhatsApp application, the Communications and Information Technology Commission would like to confirm its keenness and endeavor to promote communications and information technology services and applications in a manner that meets the needs of users in the Kingdom, in accordance with the tasks entrusted to it under the Telecommunications Act, its implementing regulations, and other regulations in force in the Kingdom.

In this regard, the Commission would like to clarify that enabling the voice calling feature is up to the company that owns the application, and that this feature does not work in many countries around the world, including some Gulf Cooperation Council countries, due to incompatibility with those countries' regulations.